Large Eyes Crying
by KTstoriesandstuff
Summary: SEQUEL to Large Eyes Opened. Beetee reunites with Wiress in the Capitol where she has spent the last six months at the mercy of high-ranking government officials and wealthy citizens. However, their reunion isn't happy as they must mentor four children through the arena. The fiftieth Hunger Games will test and break both of them, but they vow to come through the ordeal as a team.
1. Chapter 1

Three months after the Victory Tour, Wiress curled up on the couch as the seal of Panem flashed across the TV screen. Light from the screen illuminated the lavishly decorated living room containing a couch, love-seat, and a large cushiony chair surrounding a coffee table. The decor was typical in a high-rankink Capitol official's apartment. Kevius, the director of the Panem Patent office and owner of the apartment wrapped his arms around Wiress and pulled her close as an Avox cleared their empty mugs of tea and plate of cookies they had shared for dessert. Wiress tenses in his arms as President Snow appeared against a backdrop of the flag of Panem.

"The attempt to rebel has been extinguished." President Snow announced before the broadcast switched to images of decimated residential blocks, factories, fields, and mines in each district. Wiress's stomach clenched as she saw several factories in District Three bombed to ruins. Thankfully they weren't her parents' factories, but she still felt for the hundreds of workers killed in the bombings. "Peacekeepers are restoring order to the Districts, and stability has returned to Panem." President Snow paused before a boy walked onto stage with a wooden box. "I am pleased to announce this year's change for the Second Quarter Quell. As a reminder that peace and security in Panem rests on the District's compliance with the Capitol and as a reminder that for every rebel death, two citizens of the Capitol lost their lives, four tributes from each district will be reaped for the Fiftieth Hunger Games." Wiress gulped and rose from the couch.

"Exuse me." She whispered before running into the bathroom sobbing. After not seeing Beetee for six months, she would meet him only to send two girls and to boys from District Three into the arena. The additional burden of the attempted rebellion weighed on her. _Did Beetee and I cause this?_ She thought. More than ever, she wished for his presence and comforting words.

"Wiress." Kevius asked at the doorway some time later. Lifting her tear-stained face, she looked into eyes that showed a distant sympathy. "I'm going to bed." That was her cue to join him. Thankfully he demanded nothing more than her laying by his side as he fell asleep. As soon as Kevius's snores began she buried her face in the luxurious Capitol bedding and cried.

In District Three, Beetee's mouth went dry at the announcement of the Quarter Quell. He wondered how Wiress was taking the announcement in the Capitol. _Wiress._ Every Tuesday was Technology Tuesday on the Panem News Network, and every Tuesday Beetee watched the segment to see Wiress' face. She was her usual bubbly self when she spoke about the various inventions the Capitol was using, but something in her eyes had changed. As he peered into her large eyes week after week, he saw pain and shame._ Oh sweetie, what are they doing to you?_ As always, he turned off the TV and went downstairs to his workroom where he drew or built prototypes of his machines until he fell asleep at the table.

Wiress sighed and adjusted her shawl around her spaghetti-strap dress as she sat at a table in a lavish ballroom in a Capitol hotel the night after the Quarter Quell announcement. Kevius was getting their food and mingling with the guests. As Wiress wore a full-length coat outside, Horatio was able to put her in a small dress. Wiress blushed imagining what her dad would say about the length of her skirt. With a pang of sadness, she wondered what her parents were doing. As she had countless time since the Victory Tour, she wished she was at home in her old apartment or in Victor's Village in District Three eating her parents' home-cooked simple meals rather than eating gourmet food at a Capitol man's house or at expensive Capitol parties. "You're Kevius's little lady aren't you?" Wiress looked up into the angular face of a tall Capitol man with thick dark hair much like Beetee's.

"Yes, sir." Wiress replied quietly.

"My name is Sideous Crane." The man replied. "This is my son Seneca." The man gestured to a boy who was wearing a blue tuxedo and sitting at a table. Seneca appeared to be ten. "He thinks you're pretty."

"Thank you." Wiress replied. She noticed the boy was drawing on a notepad. "What are you drawing?"

"An arena." Seneca replied. "Hey, you were in the Games. Last year." Wiress nodded. "You're the electricity girl."

"That's Wiress Carpenter. She's a Victor." Sideous replied.

"I'm helping my dad. He's a Gamemaker." Seneca said. "Look." Wiress looked at the drawing. Seneca had placed the cornucopia in the center of the arena with a lake and river elsewhere.

"I like to make machines." Wiress said as her fingers itched to be drawing on an engineering notebook in hers or Beetee's workroom back in District Three. She had time to work on her inventions, but the work felt hollow without Beetee by her side.

"To use in the Games?" Seneca asked excitedly.

"No. To help people do work like in the lumber yards or in the other districts. To supply the Capitol with the best things, of course." Wiress added quickly. She looked up as large hands rested on her shoulders.

"Making friends already?" Kevius asked. Wiress forced a smile at him and took his hand as he sat down. "She's a bright young lady."

"I see her on Technology Tuesdays on TV and of course at parties." Sideous pointed out smiling at Wiress. "Listen," He said leaning closer to Kevius. "I know some of the newest pods aren't officially patented and public record, but I would like to take a look."

"Name your price." Kevius replied as he took a sip of his wine. Wiress was silent as the men bartered. However, she felt eyes bore into her.

"Seneca's mother is away for a few days. I could use some company." Sideous replied in a low voice. "Victor Carpenter, please stand up." Trying to control her trembling, Wiress stood up.

"I'll call for our Avox to pack an overnight bag for her." Kevius said as he pulled out his phone and sent a text to the staff at his apartment.

"Kevius?" Wiress asked instinctively reaching for his hand.

"Well, you've already made friends with Seneca. I'm sure you'll have fun." Kevius said in a falsely sweet voice before giving her hand a quick squeeze and kissing her cheek.

"Wait - I was thinking about the Quarter Quell. I have to mentor." Wiress said as her brain worked out a solution to the pressing problem of keeping four children from her district alive. "Mr. Crane, you may do whatever you wish if you would sponsor my tributes."

"Of course, my dear." Sideous said as he wrote out a check and handed it to her. "We can deposit it in the District Three account as we leave."

"You don't have to find me after the evening." Kevius said before he kissed her on the cheek. Wiress inwardly sighed. Spending a night apart from Kevius was scary because other Capitol men were less predictable. She hoped with all her being that Sideous would not send her home bruised or beaten. However, if one of her and Beetee's tributes won or made it into the final eight thanks to these few nights, she could live with the shame.

* * *

A/N: Ok, that's the worst chapter as far as dealing with Wiress' exploitation by the Capitol. Don't worry! Beetee will come to the rescue very soon!


	2. Chapter 2

The alarm clock beeped on the ornately carved oak nightstand. A small eager hand reached for it and turned it off. Wiress sat up grinning. _Today was Reaping Day! Tonight, she would be reunited with Beetee in the Capitol. _"Wiress darling," Kevius mumbled sleepily as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Kevius, I need to get ready to go to the training center." Wiress pointed out as she attempted to wiggle out from under the comforter.

"We'll be apart for a few weeks, won't we, sweetie?" Kevius purred into her ear. _Yes, thank goodness!_ Wiress' brain added.

"Uhuh." Wiress replied trying not to sound too enthusiastic. From the urgent touches Kevius gave her, Wiress knew he wanted a more prolonged goodbye.

Wiress was dressed and had an hour long shower in time for lunch. Munching on a ham and turkey sandwich, she wandered the apartment and collected her things to take to the training center. Kevius suggested the Avox pack her bags, but Wiress insisted on doing it herself. Her notebook on making traps and survival strategies went in along with her inventions notebooks to show Beetee. Lastly, she packed her last dress she wore on the Victory Tour. Images of Beetee's face at seeing her again brought a genuine smile to her face. "Good bye. Happy Hunger Games." Wiress gave Kevius an obligatory hug and kiss before the Avox drove her to the training center.

Once in the District Three suite, Wiress let the tears roll down her cheeks as she looked around. Everything in the room reminded her of Beetee, and she was thankful that she didn't need to come earlier. She sat on the couch where they sat to watch the Reapings and Interviews and where she and Beetee had various talks before and after her Games. Placing her notebooks on the coffee table, she could imagine she was inventing with him sitting next to her. She turned on the TV and was surprised to see that the Reapings weren't on. _Of course I can't watch them live. I will watch them when the other mentors do: after everyone has arrived at the Capitol._ She sighed and contented herself with drawing and inventing in solitude until her co-inventor and mentoring partner would arrive.

Beetee climbed the stairs to the stage blinking back tears. This year four children would be reaped and he would endure the ceremony alone. Eustacia was quite bubbly which made him very annoyed. Through the History of Panem segment, he found ample excuses to glare at her as she flounced around on stage. "Oh! This is so exciting!" Eustacia squealed. "_Four_ of you - t_wo_ boys and _two_ girls will get the _honor _of representing District Three in the Second Quarter Quell! Oh, let's hear it, District Three! Aren't we excited?" One could hear microscopic pieces of soot falling to the ground as the crowd stared stone-faced at the intruder from the Capitol. "Ladies first!" She trilled as she reached into the overly full reaping bowls. "Alana Copperton come forward!" A twelve year old girl who was chewing on a frayed dark hair-ribbon dangling from one of her shoulder-length braids came to the stage. She sniffled and wiped her nose on one of her sleeves. "Oh - who else will be joining you?" Eustacia asked gleefully before pulling another name out of the ball. "Kendall Nickells!" Kendall approached the stage from the fifteen year old's section. She nearly tripped on the stairs on the way up causing Alana to hurry over and help her. Kendall's face was a greyish color that complemented her ragged dark grey dress. "And now for the boys! Silver Richards!" A fourteen year old with glasses came to the stage. He was thinly built like many citizens of Three and stood resignedly on the stage. Looking down, he didn't acknowledge the girls, Eustacia, or Beetee. "And Joule Casting!" Joule was a small twelve-year old boy who fidgeted with a wire in his hands as he came to the stage. "Tributes! Shake hands!" Beetee gave them his best smile as they were escorted to the Justice Center. Four tributes felt terribly overwhelming, but he knew he would receive Wiress' help once he reached the Capitol. He hoped that they could bring all of them far or even one of them home.


	3. Chapter 3

Beetee helped Kendall onto the train as she nearly stumbled on the steps to the door. Alana was in the living room car sitting on a bright red cushion. Her head was down as she examined a stain on her skirt. Silver and Joule followed Beetee holding hands for comfort while attempting to keep the nervousness from their faces. "We'll meet Wiress in the Capitol." Beetee announced as the door closed and the train began moving. "What do you all want to do?"

"Plan to survive past the bloodbath." Silver suggested.

"Kendall, would you like something to drink or eat?" Beetee asked concerned as Kendall lay on the couch looking as if she could pass out at any moment.

"I'm - I'm just tired." Kendall replied barely above a whisper. Beetee knelt by her head and felt her head. "I'm always tired." She explained.

"I'll get the train nurse to look at you." Beetee suggested. Kendall shrugged. "At least get you healthy enough to train." Kendall nodded. Using a control panel on the wall, he requested a nurse. Soon a woman with red hair and light sea-green scrubs came into the room with her kit.

"Did you know you have a heart murmur?" She asked Kendall concerned. Kendall nodded. "I'll give you some oxygen and some medicine that will help you transition to the change of altitude. Kendall nodded before the nurse got her set up on the couch. Once Kendall was settled, Beetee tucked a soft green fleece blanket around her. He had ordered everyone chocolate protein shakes. After everyone pulled a cushion around the couch so Kendall could be a part of the group, they began discussing tactics.

"Is it good to die later or in the bloodbath?" Joule asked still fiddling with his wire.

"Neither." Beetee said. "Kids, look at me." He stared at them hard under his glasses. "You must not think of yourselves as too young or too weak. Wiress had to stop thinking that way her first day in the Capitol. Her mentality helped her come home." He paused. "Who is in the Engineering Academy?" As Joule raised his hand, Beetee's heart broke knowing Joule's talent would be wasted if he died in the arena. "Who works in the factories?" Everyone except Kendall raised their hands. "Good. You all know practical physics and how to improvise. That will give you an advantage." They discussed strategy until lunch before Beetee recommended everyone get some rest before their arrival at the Capitol and the opening ceremonies.

As the Capitol came into view, Beetee's heart soared knowing he was closer to Wiress. He smiled at the tributes and encouraged them to look cheerful. After helping Kendall off the couch, he gave them an overview of their first evening at the Training Center. "Beetee!" Eustacia squealed indignantly as Beetee opened the train doors near the Training Center. "Are you a mentor or escort? _I_ lead them to the training center!"

"Yes, but as _I_ have a tribute's perspective, I can coach them more adequately. Come on." he huffed ignoring Eustacia's pleading to wait for her as she pulled on her four-inch high-heels. He led them down the sidewalk and onto the elevator to the District Three suite.

"Is she this bad?" Alana asked shyly. Beetee chuckled.

"You get used to it." He muttered as they rode the elevator to their suite. "Now, Wiress will introduce herself and - _oof!_" Beetee gasped as something small barreled into his chest and stomach before squeezing his middle. "_Wiress!_" He gasped. "_Wiress - hi -" _

"_Beetee!_" Wiress sobbed into his shirt. "_Oh - Beetee -_"

"Hey, squirt." Beetee said softly and gently into her ear as her sobbing slowed. "Wiress, Our tributes are here."

"I - I missed you -" Wiress wailed. "Beetee - I - I missed you so much - it hurt so much -" As one large tear-filled eye peered around Beetee's form, she caught a glimpse of the four tributes watching their reunion. "H - Hi." She stammered after wiping her nose with a handkerchief in her pocket. "Um - Sorry -" She blushed. "I - I missed Beetee. We would invent all the time together last year, but I had to stay here." The tributes smiled at her as her small face lit up. "Oh! Inventing! I've been working on traps and other stuff for you all day!" She said enthusiastically before running to the coffee table to grab her notebook. "See?" The four tributes and Beetee poured over the pages as Wiress explained her drawings. "Now you have an advantage! Beetee's working with you and he's teaching me all kinds of stuff, so now you have _two_ inventors helping you!"

"That's right." Beetee chuckled. "Your livewire of a mentor is right."

"Beetee, _you're_ still the mentor for all of us, really." Wiress pointed out. Her tone became more reassuring as Alana and Kendall exchanged glances. "Don't worry. I will do my best to mentor you both as you're my first tributes. Beetee will help me, and I thought of ideas all day."

"Thank you." Alana said quietly. Timidly approaching Wiress, she wrapped the small Victor in a hug.

"You're welcome." Wiress whispered. Kendall joined the girls and they stood in the living room in a silent group hug. Beetee watched Wiress bond with the girls before looking at Joule and Silver.

"Hey guys, want food?" He asked before the boys eagerly nodded. Soon they were eating off a plate of cheese and crackers while throwing a wadded up napkin around. Beetee smiled as the girls sat on the couch with Wiress as she explained her drawings. They would bond with their tributes and work together to get them as close to victory as they could.

After the tributes went to the Remake Center, Beetee sat by Wiress who was curled up on the couch writing notes to herself about Alana and Kendall. "How do you think they'll do?" He asked.

"I wish Kendall wasn't so sick." Wiress said sadly. She curled up in Beetee's open arms. "I hate to do this, but I want to focus on Alana. I just - I just don't want Kendall to suffer."

"I know, squirt." Beetee whispered. "Joule's in the academy and Silver has a good head on his shoulders." Tears ran down Wiress' face. "Wiress, what's wrong?"

"I - Beetee - I just - wanted to cry so many times - and now I can because you're holding me." Wiress sobbed.

"Oh, Wiress," Beetee said sadly. He rocked her and rubbed her back as she buried her face into his shoulder and sobbed. "I sent my love to you every day."

"I know." Wiress said in between her tears. "That's why I didn't give up. You were coming."

"Wiress, what happened?" Wiress shook her head. "Wiress -"

"You'll want to hurt - people - and - you'll get in trouble. Please - Beetee - Please - no questions about my time here." Wiress begged as tears streamed down her face. Beetee cupped her chin in his hands. "Just let me be here with you."

"Ok." Beetee whispered even though he wanted to scour the Capitol and hunt down the people that hurt his Wiress - his co-inventor - his friend - and the one he swore to protect. "Wiress - I wanted to protect you." Wiress nodded. "I'm sorry." Beetee broke down and cried as he held the small sobbing ball in his lap. "I don't know how to make it up to you."

"Hold me." Wiress whispered. "Just hold me."

"I will, squirt. I will. They'll have to fight me to let you go." Beetee whispered. "I'll be here for you, my Wiress." Wiress nodded in understanding.

"I know. Because you love me. And I love you too."


	4. Chapter 4

Beetee smiled as Wiress nearly dragged him down to the District Three chariots. The Opening Parade this year was twice as long with two chariots per district. "They used fiber optics in the costumes! Look! They're finally getting efficient with the lighting!" Wiress cheered excitedly.

"I know, hon!" Beetee chuckled. Wiress waved at the first chariot carrying Alana and Joule. "Well, what do you think?" Beetee asked approaching the tributes.

"Ew! I'm wearing makeup!" Joule yelped. "I'm a boy, Beetee! Ew!"

"This is the only time it gets really out of hand." Beetee reassured him. "You look quite dazzling in your costume."

"Thanks."

"You look nice too, Alana." Wiress said. Alana nodded. She looked around deep in thought. "You'll see the tributes a bit better once we watch it again.

"Ok." Alana said. "I almost look as pretty as you did." She hugged Wiress.

"Pretend you're the princess of technology. I did." Wiress whispered. "You'll do great. Smile and wave!" Wiress and Beetee visited Kendall and Silver behind the twelve year olds. "Hi, Kendall!"

"Hi." Kendall said quietly as Wiress approached her chariot.

"You can rest once we get back to the suite." Beetee said.

"I can hold you up if you need to." Silver added as he slipped an arm around Kendall's waist.

"Thank you." Kendall whispered.

"Smile and wave, guys." Beetee instructed as Caesar made an announcement for the mentors to report to the mentor box. "Gotta run! C'mon, Wiress." Beetee's blood ran cold as he saw several prominent citizens of the Capitol leering at Wiress.

"Is that my little District Three sweetheart?" A man who was entirely lime green from his clothes to his skin and hair asked as he brushed his fingers against Wiress' arm as she passed his aisle. Wiress pressed her hand against Beetee's chest where a growl rumbled.

"Hello, Jaques." Wiress whispered. "I'm to sit with my district partner tonight."

"You'll attend sponsor parties, won't you my dear?" Wiress nodded as Beetee tightened his grip around her waist. Beetee helped her sit next to Mags as he would take the seat closest to the District Two victors.

"Hi, sweetie." Mags said smiling. "First time mentoring?" Wiress nodded. Mags patted her hand.

"You'll do fine. Beetee will help you." Mags reassured Wiress.

"Beetee?" Wiress asked as Beetee glared out into the crowd.

"I swear - Wiress - I want to burn the sponsor seats to the ground." Beetee seethed through gritted teeth. "Whoever laid his filthy hands on you -" He slowly unclenched his left hand as Wiress' smaller hand tentatively rubbed it.

As the parade began, Wiress could concentrate on Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith's commentary. "Three's tributes are looking cheerful. We'll see if the Careers wipe their smiles off during training." Claudius remarked as the crowd laughed. "And there's Four - ah - they look nearly as strong as One and Two. I don't see anything remarkable about Five."

"Six has - what's that - steam spouts atop their costumes? That's a first from the transportation district!" Caesar pointed out. "Seven are trees as usual - Have they been trees since the first Hunger Games?"

"I can't tell you as I am a bit _too _young to remember that!" Claudius quipped as the audience laughed. "But I believe you're right." Wiress sighed and slumped against Beetee. Even during the Opening Ceremony, the Capitolites were for the Careers by default meaning the non-career Districts had to convince sponsors that their tributes were worth consideration.

"Hey, squirt. They're always like this." Beetee muttered. "I was still able to get you some sponsors." He whispered. "We'll be fine."

"It's not that - it's just - they don't even give us a chance -"

"Sssh - Wiress, not here, sweetie." Beetee whispered wiping the tears away from her face. "Hey, our four looked really good out there. We'll see when we get back, ok?" Wiress nodded.

Once four sets of feet crossed the threshold of the District Three suite, Beetee and Wiress ordered them to change into pajamas before coming out to watch the Opening Parade on TV. Wiress fixed four steaming mugs of hot chocolate and Beetee ordered some late night treats. "YEAH! I'M FREE! NO GIRLY GROSS MAKE-UP!" Joule cheered as he ran out into the living room. Silver and the girls followed. "Now, listen carefully. When you see each tribute, write down what you think their strategy is for the Games, ok? List their emotional strategy like: strong or mysterious. Focus on that and then we can talk about training afterward, ok?"

"One and Two are after blood." Silver muttered.

"There's us!" Kendall and Alana cheered.

"They made Four wear fish costumes!" All four tributes got a good laugh at that as the tributes stood awkwardly on their chariots unsure of where their costumes' fins and tails were.

"Ok, Four just looks confused, but they might ally with One and Two." Joule pointed out.

"Five looks like they could care less." Alana said.

"How do you mean?" Wiress asked.

"Like they gave up." Alana replied sadly. Six and Seven's tributes looked like they were making the best of the situation. Eight and Nine seemed reserved. The boy from Ten was sniffing his cattle costume while his district partner waved to the crowd. The group from Eleven waved to the crowd but Joule, Kendall, Silver, and Alana couldn't figure out if they were nervous or ready to get it over with.

"Ok, that kid from Twelve is definitely showing attitude." Silver pointed out. An eighteen year old blonde boy from District Twelve was leaning back in his chariot with his arms folded across his chest glaring and rolling his eyes at the crowd looking all the world like he had much better things to do than participate in the parade.

"Well, that could make him a contender or an easy target." Beetee pointed out. "We'll have to see during training."

"Ok." Everyone agreed.

"You all should go to bed." Wiress announced after everyone had finished their hot cocoa and snacks. The girls went to their room and the boys went across the hallway. Each room was big enough that the tributes each got a queen size bed.

"Wiress?" Beetee asked as he stood in the doorway of Wiress' room.

"Yeah?" Wiress asked as she combed her hair while sitting crossed legged on her bed.

"Good night." Beetee said simply before walking down the hallway.

"Good night." Wiress called. She smiled at having her own bed after so long. Knowing Beetee was in the room next door made falling asleep easier. However, her pre-Games nightmares returned featuring all four tributes. Waking with a start, Wiress buried her face in her pillow so her tributes wouldn't hear her sobs. "Oh -"

Beetee's shillouette was illuminated by the light from the hallway as Wiress cracked the door to his room open. She slowly closed it and came to the bed. As carefully as she could, she crawled under the covers. "Hey, squirt." Beetee whispered.

"Beetee - hold me -" Wiress whispered through her tears. "Every night, I dreamed it was you holding me."

"Ok. Sssh, lets just get some sleep." Beetee whispered. "Hey, you won't get in trouble for this, will you, my livewire?"

"I dunno, I just need you here right now." Wiress replied as she wiped her face on the pillow where Beetee was about to lay his head.

"Ok, squirt. We'll deal with anything in the morning, ok?" He watched Wiress fall asleep in his arms before dozing off himself. For now, he relished in his small moment of protecting her from the world.


	5. Chapter 5

Wiress opened her eyes and smiled looking at Beetee's peaceful face. His pale skin had no alterations or dyes, and his embrace was that of protection, not that of a person desperate to fill a need. As Wiress lay in his arms, she memorized the firm hold around her waist and the way his heart fluttered next to hers. "I missed you so much." Wiress whispered resting her head under his chin.

"Mmm -" Beetee groaned and wondered what was resting on his arm. Opening his eyes, he saw a mop of dark hair splayed on the other half of his pillow. "Hey, squirt."

"Hmm?" Wiress murmured sleepily.

"Let's get our tributes up, ok?" Beetee coaxed.

"I wanna lay here with you, Beetee!" Wiress replied with a hint of a whine in her voice.

"I know, squirt, but remember when Eustacia woke us up as tributes? Let's spare them from that." In a flash, Wiress sat up and yanked the blankets off of Beetee. She attacked him tickling under his arms and on his neck.

"WIRESS! AAAAAAH! I DON'T HAVE MY GLASSES -" Beetee yelped before rolling off the bed. _Thud!_ The noise wasn't enough to drown out Wiress' giggles._ "OW!"_

"Race you!" Wiress called before she ran out of the room and to the girls' room. "Knock knock!" Wiress called as she knocked on the door.

"We're up." Kendall called. "Wiress?" Wiress opened the door. Her tributes were in their pajamas. Training clothes were folded on the chairs next to their beds. "Do we wear these?" Kendall asked holding up navy blue sweat pants, a tank top, and a zippered light jacket.

"Yup." Wiress said. "See, your district number is on the front and back." There was a red 3 on the front and back of the shirt and jacket. "I think breakfast is out already."

"Ok." Kendall agreed.

"Do we put our hair up?" Alana asked. Wiress nodded. "I - my sister would french-braid my hair for field-day." Wiress smiled.

"I can do your hair while you eat." Wiress suggested. "I'm going to check on the boys." She went next door and knocked on the boys' door. "Knock knock!"

"Wiress! Get the avox, please!" Beetee called.

"Why?" Wiress asked curiously.

"Just get her please!" Beetee replied. Wiress sensed a bit of urgency in his voice.

"Why? She'll just have to make a trip to the supply closet or something anyways!" Wiress reasoned as she pushed open the door before screaming. "BEETEE! EEEEEEW! _BEETEEE!_ **EEEEEEEEW!**" Wiress screamed before covering her eyes. A split second of seeing Beetee in his tank-top wearing nothing but a jock-strap was enough to cause Wiress to run from the room.

"Tell her to bring a size XL jock-strap!" Silver called as Wiress ran down the hallway. Mrs. Williams, the avox from the Victory Tour stood in the kitchen and smiled at Wiress as she stammered what she wanted.

"Um - bring - could you - do you have - Silver needs a size XL jock-strap - to go over - " Wiress blushed darkly. "To go over his youknowwhat." She muttered. Mrs. Williams nodded. She pulled out her notepad.

_Milly had an 18 year old brother, sweetie._ Mrs. Williams patted Wiress on the back before Wiress ran back down the hallway.

"SILVER! MRS. WILLIAMS IS BRINGING - UM - THAT - UM - THINGIE!" She called through the door before going to the dining room table. Kendall and Alana were already eating. Wiress hummed and braided Alana's hair as a nice distraction. Five minutes later, a trio of blushing boys joined them.

"Feel better, bro?" Beetee asked Silver who nodded emphatically before piling half the eggs and sausage onto his plate. Beetee chuckled as Wiress blushed darkly as she caught his eye. "Ok, gang. Training." Beetee began after everyone had a solid ten minutes to eat as much as they could.

"Survival stations?" Joule suggested.

"No. Not at first." Wiress answered. "Try the light weapons like knives and stuff. Show the Careers you're not afraid of using weapons. Then go to the survival stations. Oh, and Joule - and everyone else, you can take notes on the physics of the weapons. They have paper if you want."

"Thanks." The tributes responded.

"Oh, and let Wiress and I know what you are good at by the end of the day. This means spend a bit of time at each station." Beetee added. "Start thinking about alliances sometime in the afternoon."

"Are there any group things we do?" Silver asked.

"The agility course." Wiress said. "Of course - they might change the test you get, but the Gamemakers have everyone take a turn and do some task." The tributes nodded. After breakfast and a few rounds of hugs from Wiress and Beetee, Eustacia led them to the training center.

"Now what?" Wiress asked. "We can discuss strategy or I could think of some more traps, or -"

"Get dressed, squirt." Beetee said smiling at her as Mrs. Williams cleared the table.

"But I am!" Wiress protested as she was dressed in a pink t-shirt and silvery black sweat pants.

"I mean, in a nice dress. We go to sponsor parties when they're in training." Fear crossed Wiress' face causing Beetee to reach across the table and wrap her hands in his. "Hey, Wiress sweetie." He said quietly. "I'll be with you the whole time, ok?"

"I - It's just - I'll - see - some of _them_ again." Wiress whispered as tears ran down her cheeks.

"I won't let them hurt you." Beetee whispered.

"But - but they'll have to so Kendall and Alana and Joule and Silver have sponsor money, Beetee. And I didn't want you to see them take me from you." Wiress cried. "Ouch!" She gasped as Beetee gripped her hands until his knuckles turned white.

"I'm sorry, honey - I'm so sorry -" Beetee gasped. He sighed and put his head in his hands. "Just come back with me when we leave." Wiress nodded. "If you don't want to do something there, feel free to use me as an excuse." Wiress nodded. "I'm getting ready." Wiress nodded blinking back tears at the harshness in Beetee's voice. It pained her to see him upset over her predicament. However, she was glad he cared and she knew that one day she would be his completely. That thought allowed her to muster up the courage to prepare for the party they would attend in two hours.


	6. Chapter 6

"We're here!" Eustacia trilled as she pushed open the doors to a large ballroom in a five-star hotel a block from the training center. Sponsors were laughing and talking with mentors as the mentors walked around the groups of partygoers clustered at small tables or clusters of cushions throughout the room.

"Wiress!" Beetee hissed as Wiress accepted a small glass of wine.

"Beetee, it's only filled a third of the way." Wiress whispered. "Besides, it's proper ettiquite." She learned party ettiquite early on during her sentence in the Capitol.

"Try this, son!" A capitol man laughed shoving a small glass of strong-smelling amber liquid into Beetee's hand. "Go on! Show the little missy you're a man." Beetee swallowed the drink and willed himself not to gag.

"Start with the appetizers." Wiress suggested quietly tugging on Beetee's hand.

"I did this last year, I swear." Beetee muttered. "Well, in all honesty, I only went to one party, and that was because I knew people from the patent office would be there. They sponsored you."

"I know. Kevius was one of my sponsors." Wiress said before Beetee turned around on his heel and stared hard in to her face. Hand trembling, Wiress set her glass on a nearby stained-glass table, fearful of Beetee's reaction knowing she had revealed too much about her last six months in the Capitol.

"Who?" Beetee asked in a low growl. Tears sprang to Wiress' eyes.

"Oh - Beetee - please don't get upset - he never ever hurt me." Wiress pleaded. "Please don't get upset at him - it could've been worse."

"You lived with him." Beetee muttered. "Like a little wife. _Didn't you, Wiress?"_

"It's part of my sentence." Wiress mumbled to the ground as she couldn't show her shame-filled face to Beetee. Her hand suddenly felt empty and she gasped realizing Beetee had released his grip on her hand to march in the other direction. "Beetee!" Wiress cried as she ditched her high heels and ran toward Beetee as he exited the ballroom. "Beetee! Please! We need to get sponsors!" Wiress called as Beetee screeched to a halt near the wall of the hallway leading to the lobby. Wiress slowed to a walk when she saw Beetee's hands balled into fists.

"_I'm not asking these Capitol scum that used you like that for help!" _Beetee yelled whirling around and slamming his fists against the wall.

"Beetee, we _must_ think of Kendall and Alana - and Joule and Silver!" Wiress pleaded. "Oh, Beetee, you promised you wouldn't leave me!" Beetee looked at the small hands wrapped around his fists.

"I changed my mind." Beetee whispered furiously. "I'm not going in there. Come on." He wrapped his hand around Wiress'. "We don't need their help." He spat out the words before physically spitting on the ornate dark blue carpet of the hallway.

"Yes we do." Wiress whispered using her other hand to release Beetee's grip on her fingers. "Beetee, it's our job. We need to. For - for our tributes."

"We can invent for them, squirt. Think of how they can win in the arena on their own." Wiress paused. She knew Beetee's logic was absolutely right. However, the sponsorship obligation was only half of the story.

"Beetee - we - we were invited because -" Wiress swallowed. "We have to." Extracting a piece of paper from her pocket, she showed it to Beetee. "I was given this as I left - the apartment - when I left for the Training Center."

_My little darling Wiress, _

_I hope to see your co-mentor Beetee and yourself at all sponsorship parties. You look so beautiful, and I can help you secure sponsors for your tributes. Remember, if my friends don't think you're complying with the Capitol, things may happen. I'd hate to see you get hurt, my sweet girl. _

_Love, _

_Kevius_

"No." Beetee whispered sliding down to a sitting position against the wall knowing that note sealed his and Wiress' duties during the Games.

"Please, Beetee." Wiress pleaded. "We don't have any other choice."

"Is everything ok?" A man with a strong Capitol accent asked. "My little darling?"

"My - Beetee's sick." Wiress stammered. "Can he go back to the training center? Please?"

"I'll see you in the evening, young man." Kevius said eyeing Beetee with suspicion as Beetee stared back looking more angry than ill. "As a senior sponsor, I have contact information for the Hospitality Management manager in the Training Center. You will find a suitable tonic waiting in the District Three suite. Good day, Mr. Tesla." Wiress fought against her instinct to stiffen as Kevius put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll be your dance partner and accompany you during the party, my dear."

"Thank you." Wiress whispered as she let Kevius wrap his hand around hers. "I'll be back with the training sessions are done." Beetee nodded. Wiress closed her eyes and sighed before walking into the party with Kevius.

"Wire girl's here! Dad, I told you I saw her!" Ten year old Seneca Crane hurried toward Wiress with his notebook after Wiress collected her shoes from the waiter holding open the door to the ballroom.

"Thanks, sorry. Beetee got sick." Wiress stammered slipping into her shoes.

"That's ok, love. They understand." Kevius whispered as he encircled his arms around her middle and kissed her neck.

"Hi, Seneca." Wiress said smiling.

"Hey! Wire g - I mean, Wiress, I drew more arena pictures! Look!"

"Hello, Mr. Crane." Wiress said shaking hands with one of the Gamemakers. "Pleasure to see you again."

"You as well. I see you and Kevius just came in."

"Seneca, do you go to Gamemaker school or anything?"

"Well - sorta." Seneca said. "I'm helping Dad out during the Games though!"

"Well - m - maybe your dad could sponsor my tributes if I offered to give you a basic lesson in physics." Wiress suggested thinking about her sponsor account. It had some money in it, but she knew with four tributes, she would need a much fuller account.

"I say you have a deal, little lady." Sideous Crane said smiling as he shook Wiress' hand and added money to her account using a tablet computer at one of the tables. "Kevius, before I leave, may I have a half an hour of her time before she goes back?"

"Yes." Kevius said. Wiress wondered why he agreed so readily before he escorted her to a far wall of the ballroom. An Avox was standing at a counter near an entrance to what looked like a small hallway with sliding glass doors on both sides. "Hello. We'll need a suite for an hour." Kevius said as he dropped a roll of coins onto the counter. The Avox wrote down his and Wiress' name. A light came on above one of the sliding glass doors. "I missed you." Kevius whispered as he closed the glass door. A soft bed took up much of the dimly lit room. "I'll do the talking for you, ok? You just have to look pretty." Wiress nodded as tears streamed down her face. If this hour gave all her tributes an hour more to live in the arena, the pain would possibly be worth it.

"Kendall had to leave training early." Silver explained as Wiress entered the District Three suite. A nurse from the Training Center was tending to Kendall who was on the couch in her training clothes.

"Oh, Wiress." Kendall whispered seeing Wiress' large sad eyes search her tired face. "Wiress, come here." Wiress pulled an ottoman close to the couch and held Kendall's pale hand. She watched the liquid from the IV hung near the couch drip into Kendall's veins. "Please don't worry about me."

"But I do. You're my tribute." Wiress explained. "I want to do my best for you and Alana." She looked at Alana who was sitting cross legged near Kendall's feet. Silver and Joule were standing near the couch.

"I'll feel better soon." Kendall whispered before drifting off to sleep. After her IV was finished, the nurse left her a protein drink on the dining room table. "Wiress?" Wiress looked into Kendall's face as Kendall woke up slowly.

"Yes, Kendall?" Wiress asked as she took both of Kendall's hands in her own.

"I want to die quickly. Painlessly. Please. That's my only wish." Kendall whispered.

"None of us will kill you, Kendall." Joule pointed out. "District partners are allies by default."

"I'll talk to Beetee about your request." Wiress said quietly before giving Kendall a hug. "You can change into your pajamas if you want."

"That's ok." Kendall whispered. Alana took Wiress up on her offer. As the two girls went to Alana and Kendall's room, Alana talked about the compliments she got on her braid.

"I can braid it for you tomorrow and the next day too." Wiress offered.

"Ok!" Alana said eagerly. She wrapped Wiress in a hug. "Oh, Wiress, I was so sad that my sister died in the factory accident last winter, but if I could have asked for a replacement older sister, it would've been someone like you." Wiress nodded. "I have a big sister at least for a few more days."

"Yes you do." Wiress said quietly before kissing her charge on the forehead. "And I will try and be the best big sister I can be, ok? I'll do what I can to send you stuff in the arena." Her eyes lit up. "Pinkie-swear. That's what I always made my sister Wendy do with me." She smiled as she linked pinkies with Alana.

"Pinkie-swear." After Wiress closed the door to Alana's room, she looked up and imagined Wendy smiling down at her. "Wendy," Wiress whispered. "You taught your Nerdling well."


	7. Chapter 7

"How did Silver and Joule do?" Wiress asked Beetee over tea after their tributes had gone to bed.

"Ok." Beetee said. "Silver's handy with a spear and Joule teamed up with Alana to build traps and work on camoflauge. They worked on knives. I don't know if Alana told you this, but apparently she wants to be a good knife thrower like her mentor." Wiress blushed.

"I wasn't that good." Wiress admitted.

"No, but I remember you saving a certain trainer from injury by throwing a knife into a gear mechanism." Wiress blushed at Beetee's compliment. "Hey, squirt, I know you're thinking about Kendall." Wiress nodded with tears in her eyes. "I know she'll do her best, but she's accepted that she won't come out of the arena. She wants it to be painless, and we can honor that for her, ok?"

"Ok." Wiress whispered as she dried her eyes. "Beetee, we have to go." Beetee sighed before Wiress took his hands.

"I won't cause a scene." Beetee whispered. "Because I don't want to make this any harder for you."

"Oh, Beetee -" Wiress began before her sobs took over. Beetee wrapped her in a hug as she cried. "I missed you so much! I forgot how sweet you are to me."

"I'm your annoying protective best friend. Of course I'd be there for you." Beetee pointed out.

The best thing about the party was that it was short by Capitol standards. Beetee spoke with sponsors about his inventions as Wiress fulfilled her appointments with Sideous Crane and others. She and Beetee were able to give ten year old Seneca Crane a physics lesson over appetizers using their silver utensils as props. "Ta da!" Seneca cheered as he rolled an olive down an incline which was a butter knife.

"Good job. If you were in District Three, you'd be a candidate for the Engineering Academy." Beetee chuckled.

"Thanks Mr. Tesla and Miss Carpenter." Seneca said grinning. "I have cool ideas for the arena now, just you wait!" He cheered before hopping down from his chair to find his father.

"I need to go too." Wiress whispered. Trembling lips brushed against the back of her hand as Beetee kissed her gently.

"I'll send you my love to be strong." Beetee whispered. Wiress nodded and walked with forced confidence to a sponsor who was beckoning her to the private sliding-glass door cubicles she had used with Kevius earlier in the day.

Beetee helped Wiress drape her sheer dark green shawl around her shoulders over her strapless form fitting blue dress around 11pm that evening. He let Wiress lead him by the hand to a tablet PC mounted on the wall. He logged in and saw their sponsorship account had increased. "The tributes are doing really good for their first day. Let's call it a night." Wiress' body slouching against his indicated her agreement that the party had been long. They wordlessly walked to the Training Center.

Beetee sighed as Wiress sat at the dining room table and began drawing in her notebook. Tears came to his eyes as he realized Wiress' face lacked the joy it had during the previous year when she would come up with ideas. "Oh, Wiress." He whispered placing his hand over hers. "You need to go to sleep soon, sweetie." He suggested as he looked into large eyes red and puffy with tiredness.

"I can nap after the girls go to training." Wiress muttered more to the table than to him.

"Do you need sleeping powder?" Wiress shook her head. Beetee disappeared down the hallway and went into Wiress' room. After finding the softest pajamas he could find, he filled the tub with flowery scented bubbles. He wanted to make sure Wiress felt well cared for after what she endured at the party.

"Beetee?" A small voice broke his concentration as he added some bubbles that were various colors.

"Hey, squirt. I started a bath for you, ok?" Wiress nodded as tears ran down her face. "What do you need, honey?" He asked concerned.

"Could you - could you - wait for me?" Wiress asked as her lower lip trembled. "I'll come out and - could you - could you tuck me in?"

"Sure." Beetee said. "Here." He handed her the soft pajamas and closed the door to the bathroom. Turning his attention to the bed, he fluffed the pillows and pulled back the comforter as he heard Wiress' feet pattering on the bathroom floor. "There you are." He whispered tucking his small co-inventor in.

"Oh - Beetee - stay with me." Wiress whispered before breaking down into tears. Beetee lay on top of the covers rubbing her back as she clung to the fabric of his nightshirt, burying her face against him to muffle her sobs.

"We only have a little bit of time, but I'm right here for you, ok?" Beetee whispered as Wiress' tears slowed. Once Wiress was asleep, Beetee allowed himself to shed his own tears. He cried because he blamed himself for Wiress' predicament and he cried knowing the Capitol used Wiress turning her from the sweet cheerful girl that he knew in District Three into a girl who needed all her strength and ingenuity to make it through each day in the Capitol. He knew he'd give every ounce of his love to her if that meant she could hold the pieces of herself together.


	8. Chapter 8

Beetee woke up to the most wonderful sound that warmed his heart and brought tears of joy to his eyes. Wiress' giggles could be heard through the slightly open door of his room. Smiling, Beetee went down the hallway to investigate. The giggling grew louder as he approached the girls' bedroom.

"I was trying to sleep!" Alana squealed curling up under her blankets as Wiress tickled her feet. Kendall was sitting at the foot of Alana's bed laughing.

"Nooo!" Wiress squealed as she tickled her charge harder. "You have training!"

"I'm_ sleeeping!_" Alana nearly squealed in between giggles.

"No, you're giggling." Kendall remarked before she and Wiress pulled the covers of Alana before all three girls began a pillow-fight.

"Good morning, girls." Beetee laughed in the doorway.

"Beetee!" Wiress squealed. "ATTACK!" She commanded before Beetee was pelted by soft colorful pillows as Wiress, Alana, and Kendall laughed hysterically. Two others sets of feet pattering down the hall indicated Joule and Silver had joined the giggling fray.

"GOTCHA!" Joule yelped leaping onto Beetee's back and grabbing his shoulders.

"OW!" Beetee yelped. "You have a strong grip, buddy!" Beetee gasped massaging his shoulders.

"Nice one, Joule." Alana teased. "You hurt your mentor!"

"He did not!" Beetee replied rubbing his shoulder.

"Did too." Wiress responded while poking Beetee hard in the shoulder smirking as he winced. Kendall playfully hit Joule with a pillow as Silver and Alana laughed. "Ok, breakfast time! Bring your notes and flashcards in ten minutes!" Wiress directed before the tributes scattered to their rooms to get ready for the day. "That was funny." She giggled as she took Beetee's hand to walk to the dining room.

"Got them in a good mood for training, squirt?" Beetee asked smiling sitting down at the table.

"Well, Alana started it." Wiress explained as she poured them some orange juice. "She was being a goof and playing possum. So I tickled her." Wiress paused deep in thought. "It just reminded me of normal life. Like when I did that to Wendy sometimes."

"Those moments will be precious to all of us." Beetee said quietly. "I'm glad you got to have that." Wiress nodded. "I remembe Curie waking Milly and I up by humming as she walked down the hallway. She would ruffle our hair before tapping us on the shoulder. We always had messy hair at breakfast." Wiress giggled before sniffing the platters of pancakes, sausage, ham, danishes, eggs, and fruit Mrs. Williams set on the table.

"I had fun with Max. He would make faces at the table to get me laugh." Beetee chuckled as he served himself some bacon. When he turned around, Wiress stared at him cross eyed with her tongue out.

"AAAH! Wiress!" Beetee yelped before Wiress burst out laughing.

"I swear someone put something in the air activating our giddy switches." Silver remarked as he, Joule, Alana, and Kendall sat at the table and began serving themselves breakfast.

"Test me!" Joule requested handing Beetee his stack of flashcards detailing edible plants. Beetee began quizzing the group.

"Now, for weapons." Wiress began. "Who can tell me the uses of a knife."

"Um, cutting." Kendall replied as she cut into a juicy sausage.

"Making something out of a branch." Joule suggested.

"You could put it in like a slingshot thing." Silver added.

"You could throw it." Alana answered looking intently at Wiress who went to the kitchen and grabbed a wad of paper napkins. After taping them to the wall, she handed Alana a paring knife. "Here?" Wiress nodded.

"OH MY PANEM, NO THROWING KNIVES! NO NO NO!" Eustasicia screeched entering the room at the exact moment Alana threw the knife sinking it into the paper napkin wad at a slight angle.

"The Careers do it all the time." Wiress replied.

"You'll ruin the paint on the walls with the tape! Take that down now!" Wiress whirled around and glared at Eustacia.

"Four kids in this room might not come back, and you're worried about paint on the walls?" Wiress snapped. Eustacia stared back into large eyes filled with anger and hurt.

"You better watch what you say, young lady!" Eustacia replied, her voice dripping with venom. "Kevius wouldn't be happy knowing his sweet little lady was still rebellious, would he?" Shaking and palefaced, Wiress sat down. She began eating as Beetee continued quizzing the tributes on weapons.

"Focus on alliances as well as physical and survival training, guys." Beetee instructed as everyone finished their plates of food. Wiress got up and braided Alana's hair. After hugging her and Kendall, Wiress wished her girls luck as they joined Joule and Silver to go to training.

"Luckily for us, we don't have any parties." Beetee remarked plopping down on the couch in the living room. Wiress cheered at his announcement before running to her room. She came out with her armload of notebooks and extra graph paper.

"Inventing time!" Wiress cheered. "We can look over ideas I had for everyone in the arena, and then do our own stuff!" Beetee gasped as he was wrapped in a near bone crushing hug. "It's just like old times, Beetee! I forgot how happy I am inventing with you!" Beetee chuckled before hugging her back.

"I love inventing with you, Wiress. I love spending time with you." Beetee whispered as he focused on Wiress in his arms. Etching her joy-filled face into his memory, he kissed her on her forehead. "Now let's unleash that brain of yours."


	9. Chapter 9

The door to the District Three suite banged open as four sets of footsteps eagerly crossed the threshold. "Hey guys!" Beetee called setting his drawing on the coffee table before going over to the tributes.

"We made an alliance!" Alana cheered. "With Six!"

"Three and six again?" Wiress asked raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, we tried to get nine and twelve so it would be three, six, nine, and twelve but no such luck." Joule quipped as everyone chuckled.

"Well, tell me about Six." Wiress said as she beckoned everyone to the table. Beetee ordered a plate of crackers, fruit, and cheese.

"The girls are Tarra and Julie, and the boys are George and Rivet." Silver explained. "Tarra's fifteen and equal to Wiress in genius." Wiress blushed at the description as Beetee smiled and nodded for him to continue. "Julie is sixteen, George is also sixteen, and Rivet is thirteen."

"What are their strong suites?" Beetee asked.

"Tarra can invent. We talked about it a lot!" Joule put in before blushing a deep red.

"Joule has a crush on her." Silver added before he yelped in pain rubbing his shin.

"SILVER! SHUT UP!" Joule yelped as the group laughed. "Oh - and George is strong. He threw some spears."

"Rivet is really good at survival stations." Kendall added. "In fact, he wants to specialize in only that. His plan is to run the other way and we follow after grabbing our stuff."

"Kendall, you said 'we.'" Wiress said smiling. "How are you doing with training?"

"Good. I am mostly learning survival too. And keeping up my strength." Kendall paused. "I want to help the others for as long as I can." Alana sniffled before wrapping her arms around her district partner.

"I'm glad you won't go really soon." Alana whispered through her tears.

"I'm glad for you too." Wiress said blinking back tears. "You have hope now." Kendall smiled and nodded.

"So, tell me about Twelve. I was wondering about them." Beetee said.

"Well, one of the girls is Maysilee." Kendall replied. "She's really nice and is trying to learn all the stations. Haymitch is the kid no one likes." Everyone chuckled.

"He sorta has an attitude. But he's really smart too." Silver explained. "He can pick up how to use a weapon really fast and can figure other stuff out. He talks back to the Careers when they give him crap, but he doesn't want to ally with any of us either." Wiress and Beetee discussed strategy and the alliance through dinner.

After everyone was showered and changed into pajamas, Beetee sent them off to bed as both of them had sponsorship related appointments. "Good night, Alana. Good night, Kendall." Wiress whispered kissing each girl on the top of her forehead before leaving their room and turning off the light. She hurried into her room and changed into a maroon dress. Beetee was dressed in a dark blue suit and green tie. Holding hands, they wordlessly exited the District Three suite and left the training center in a taxi.

"We'll be back before the kids get up." Beetee said. "They always assure us of that." Wiress nodded. She gulped as Kevius opened her door once the taxi pulled up to the front of a lavish hotel. Sideous Crane was also at the curb waiting for them.

"Hello again, Kevius." Wiress said allowing him to take her hand. "Shall I meet Beetee in the lobby?"

"Actually, Beetee is joining us - Sideous, you, and I. We heard you both work well as a team." Wiress gulped as her pulse raced. She looked at Beetee not trying to hide the fear from her large eyes.

"Wiress, we can do this." Beetee said. "We can get through anything. Together." Kevius smiled slyly as Beetee took Wiress' other hand.

At 2am, Wiress got out of the taxi grateful that the downpour of a night thunderstorm hid her tears as she wept once her feet hit the pavement. "Wiress, come on. Let's go in, squirt." Beetee coaxed taking her hand. "Let's get inside in case there's a power outage."

"But - the elevator would still work. It's on its own generator." Wiress whispered as they slowly crossed the lobby.

"I know, squirt, but let's not take any chances." Wiress clutched Beetee as an almighty clap of thunder seemed to shake the training center. They rode the elevator to their floor and opened the door just as a nightgown clad figure ran into the living room.

"WIRESS! BEETEE! Where were you?" Alana called.

"Just out." Beetee said. "Visiting sponsors for you guys. What's wrong?" He asked concerned.

"It's just - I heard thunder -" Another clap of thunder caused Alana to put her hands over her ears and run into Wiress' outstretched arms.

"Do you want me to come into your room? Is Kendall up?" Wiress asked as the three of them began down the hallway to the bedrooms.

"No. She's not scared." At the sound of another clap of thunder, Kendall peered her pale face out into the hallway.

"I'll go to your room." Wiress suggested taking Alana's hand. "Beetee can go into the boys' room."

"He could just go to bed." Kendall suggested. "They're not scared." She remarked seconds before lightning lit up the sky, thunder crashed very close to the training center, and Joule and Silver ran out of their room.

"It's going to hit the training center!" Silver yelped.

"No, they have a lightning rod that can handle the voltage!" Joule replied. "All the buildings do - we learned about them at the -" This time everyone cringed as thunder and lightning shook the ground. "Academy -" Joule whispered as his whole body began trembling.

"Come on, kids." Beetee called opening the door to his room. As he had a California King size bed, he knew all six of them would fit. Joule snuggled against Beetee's back as he held Wiress close to him. Alana snuggled next to Wiress with her arm around Kendall. Kendall lay pressed against Alana with her arm over her and Wiress. Silver curled around Joule.

"Rain, rain, go away..." Wiress began singing through her sniffles.

"Are you scared, Wiress?" Kendall asked concerned.

"No. I'm - it's not about the rain -" Wiress began around her sniffles. "It's - Thank you all - for being here."

"We're helping each other, aren't we?" Beetee asked. Five heads nodded before everyone clutched eachother tighter listening to the storm outside.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Finals are OVER for summer class! (YAY!) So, I have a few more weeks to devote to the FanFiction world before fall classes begin :O

* * *

Beetee emerged from his dreams and wondered why his pillows were so heavy and why so many were pressed against his body. Even though he heard a light rain pattering against the windows, he felt quite warm. He opened his eyes as a small hand pressed into his shoulder blades. "Hey, Joule." He whispered as the youngest tribute opened his eyes. Silver had his arm draped over Beetee and Joule and was snoring softly. Looking to his right, Wiress was asleep curled up with her head resting in the hollow of his neck under his chin. Next to her, Alana was asleep with an arm wrapped around Wiress' middle. Kendall was on the outside curled protectively around Alana. "Good morning, Wiress. Good morning, kids." Beetee said quietly. Slowly four pairs of bleary eyes opened.

"Oh -" Wiress whispered as she sat up looking around at her tributes who were rubbing their eyes. Tears streamed from her large eyes before she buried her face in Beetee's chest clutching his shirt in her hands.

"Wiress, what's wrong, honey?" Beetee asked.

"I - I thought - last night - was a - bad dream -" Wiress sobbed.

"You didn't seem afraid of the lightning, Wiress. You helped all of us." Kendall reassured her. "We weren't in the arena." She said suddenly remembering the Gamemakers nearly killed Wiress with lightning during her Games.

"It - It wasn't about the storm." Wiress stammered. As Beetee surveyed his tributes' confused faces, guilt and shame washed over him.

"Wiress had another nightmare of a different sort." Beetee explained. "Kids, get dressed and we'll meet you at breakfast, ok?" Silver nodded and beckoned everyone out of Beetee's room. "Hey, squirt." Beetee whispered holding his co-inventor close as she sobbed.

"Am - Am I gross, Beetee?" Wiress asked through her tears.

"No. You're my beautiful co-inventor."

"Even - though - Kevius - and - they made me - do - stuff to you -" Wiress sobbed. "And - to them - and they - did stuff - to me -" Beetee tensed.

"I promise, I will get you back to District Three as soon as I can and out of here."

"I - I can't leave, Beetee -" Wiress sobbed. "Not for - infinity - it seems like infinity, Beetee -"

"Oh, Wiress." Beetee whispered before Wiress hiccupped and threw up on Beetee's comforter. "C'mon, let's get you cleaned up."

"I - I don't know - why I'm -" Wiress stammered.

"Last night was a long night." Beetee said gently starting a bath of soothing oils before handing her a simple dress. "I'll begin talking to the kids about training and you come out when you're ready, ok?" Wiress nodded.

"Well, showcase three of your tops strengths." Wiress said before adding blueberries to her yogurt and topping her toast with mashed blueberries.

"I didn't know you liked blueberries so much." Joule pointed out.

"They're really good today." Wiress said.

"Wiress, slow down." Beetee said gently. "Remember, you didn't feel well earlier."

"But, I do feel better." Wiress insisted popping a few more blueberries in her mouth before eating her fruit and yogurt mix.

"Well, it's time for them to go!" Eustacia practically sang as she entered the dining room powdering her face.

"Good luck!" Beetee and Wiress called after they gave each tribute a round of hugs. Wiress held Beetee's hand as the four tributes left the suite with Eustacia in tow.

"I just have a feeling they'll do well." Wiress whispered smiling. "Beetee, they're like our kids." She said smiling at him. The implication caused Beetee to blush but he smiled.

"Yes. Well, we _are_ their mentors, so we take care of them." Wiress nodded before snatching the rest of the blueberries from the dining room table. Plopping herself on the couch, she began drawing in her notebook. "Beetee! Get over here! I'm not figuring out all their traps by myself!" She called.

"Yes, my bossy protoge." Beetee chuckled before an elbow in his side followed his remark. He was grateful Wiress could invent as a way to push through her pain, and he knew he would work by her side until the day he would be forced to leave her in the Capitol once again.


	11. Chapter 11

Wiress and Beetee ate lunch before going to a sponsorship party. Gripping Wiress' hand in a white-knuckled grip, Beetee forced smiles as they entered the room. Slowly Wiress pried herself out of his grip as her usual sponsors beckoned to her. Grumbling to himself, Beetee went to the drink table and drank a glass of strong liquid to dull the pain he felt knowing Wiress was submitting herself to her sponsors for their tributes' sake.

"Come here, young man." A sponsor said leering at Beetee before he was led away to a private area of the ballroom.

"One more day, sweetie." Beetee whispered as he held a sobbing Wiress on the couch in the District Three suite.

"But - then - they go into the arena - I don't know what's worse, Beetee - it just hurts."

"Life hurts." Beetee whispered as tears coursed down his own face. "Life at their hands hurts, squirt. I'm sorry." His heart broke watching Wiress suffer in front of him. They sat in silence pulling themselves together to be strong for their tributes.

"Well, we're here." A small voice announced at the door to the living room. In a milisecond, Beetee and Wiress were at the door greeting and hugging their tributes. "I'm nervous - and that made me tired." Kendall remarked. Beetee took one look into her pale face before picking her up and carrying her to the couch.

"I built a trap." Alana said as Wiress hugged her. "It looked complicated." Wiress smiled.

"I built one too."

"I know." Holding Alana, Wiress looked at Joule. She reached for his hand and took it in hers.

"I built a trap too." Joule answered Wiress' unspoken question. "Someone quizzed me on plants and survival."

"I did a trap, fire, and some weapons." Silver finished.

"Good. You all chose good things to showcase." Beetee said returning to the group. "Get some rest in your rooms, ok? We'll get you for dinner." Scooping Kendall from the couch, he and Silver carried her to her and Alana's room.

"It's ok, Kendall. Take a nap." Wiress said tucking the covers around the pale girl.

"I'm trying to stay awake - because I have to when I'm there." Kendall said in a small voice.

"So sleep now." Wiress replied smiling and kissing her head. "Besides, these beds are nice and soft." She squeaked as a pillow hit her. "As are the pillows." Kendall giggled along with Wiress before Wiress jumped on Alana's bed to pelt her with her soft pillow launched across the room.

"Silly girl!" Wiress giggled. "Go to sleep!" Coming out into the hallway, she heard Beetee talking to the guys before closing their door. "They're sleeping." Wiress announced around a yawn.

"Wiress, are you tired?" Beetee chuckled before picking up Wiress and putting her over his shoulder amid her giggling protests.

"Noo!" Wiress squealed before Beetee tossed her onto the bed. He laughed and climbed on top of the covers to tickle her before having his eardrums nearly split from a bloodcurdling scream and a small fist connecting with his nose.

"Wiress - Wiress, I'm so sorry!" Beetee gasped as his small co-inventor flailed around on the bed screaming terrified. His heart constricted knowing she was experiencing flashbacks from previous nights within the last six months. The door burst open as Joule and Silver raced into the room.

"Is she hurt?" Silver asked concerned.

"She - was - in the past." Beetee whispered. "Wiress, Wiress honey, I would never hurt you - I'm so sorry - I'm sorry -" Beetee's voice broke as he sobbed along with her. Rocking on the bed, Wiress beat the covers with her small fists wailing. Surprisingly, Joule was the first one to approach the edge of the bed.

"Wiress, it's me, Joule." He caught Wiress' small hand in his. "Wiress, one, three, five, seven, eleven..." He paused as Wiress' crying seemed to slow. Slowly he began reciting the beginnings of equations.

"Wiress, mass times acceleration." Joule said softly over her tears ten minutes later.

"F - Force -" Wiress answered in between her tears. Sitting up, she looked around at Silver tending to Beetee's nose, Joule standing by the bed holding her hand, and Alana at the doorway crying silently. "I - I was chained up - and - it hurt - and - he - he wouldn't stop - he wouldn't stop."

"Wiress, you're not there. You're here. With me." Beetee said approaching the bed slowly.

"Who hurt you?" Alana asked quietly.

"Bad people." Beetee said quietly, his voice laced with fury. "Kids, I think we're ok. I'm - I'm so sorry."

"Thanks Joule, Silver. I - I know you'll be strong." Wiress stammered.

"You - You be strong too." Alana whispered before curling up next to Wiress. "Beetee can wake us up." Wiress nodded before the girls wrapped their arms around each other. Blinking back tears, Beetee covered them with a blanket.

"I'll wake you both for the scores." Beetee said before turning off the light and closing the door. Entering his office, he allowed himself to shake with fury at Wiress' situation. Even though the court said Wiress was stuck in the Capitol for years, Beetee vowed to find some way to bring her home to District Three where she could invent far from the place and people that hurt her.


	12. Chapter 12

Alana and Kendall sat on the couch in the living room and leaned against Wiress as she grasped their hands. Next to them, Beetee sat with the boys. "Now, for District Three! Joule Casting: Five. Silver Ironsmith: Five." Claudius Templesmith announced. The girls clapped for the two boys as Beetee smiled at them and ruffled their hair. "Now for the girls of District Three! Alana Copperton: Four - a decent score for our youngest tribute!" Wiress wrapped her in a hug. "And Kendall Nickells: Three - her score matches her district!"

"Good job, kids." Beetee whispered. "They know you tried." He smiled at them. "Now you just have interviews."

"Do I have to wear makeup?" Joule asked wrinkling his nose. Beetee chuckled.

"Just some face powder, but everyone has to. No lipstick." Joule became more relaxed at Beetee's explanation.

"I hope I get a pretty dress!" Alana cheered as Wiress grinned having an idea.

"Beetee, you can train the boys and I can train the girls tomorrow morning and then Eustacia can take over in the afternoon!" Wiress suggested excitedly.

"Wait - interview training is all day?" Silver asked puzzled. "We only talk for three minutes."

"Yes, but they want you to look pretty and say the right stuff." Wiress explained. "It -" She swallowed down a gag. "It's for the sponsors."

"Ok." The tributes agreed before going to their rooms to prepare for bed.

The next day after a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs, yogurt, pastries, and fruit, Beetee stood next to Joule and Silver in front of the large dresser mirror in his room as they practiced adjusting their ties. "Good job. The stylists will do it, but just in case you need to make any changes." Beetee said. Suddenly he heard a round of giggles from the hallway. Joule opened the door as someone knocked and began laughing at the sight in front of him.

"Ok, curtsey!" Wiress called to Alana and Kendall beside her. She and her charges were dressed in dresses with poufy skirts and wearing high heels. "Hello, Beetee. It's a pleasure to see you." She said sweetly to Beetee who was gawking at the giggling curtseying girls.

"Hello, ladies." Beetee said smiling and bowing to them. Giggling, the girls made their way back to their room.

"Walk straight!" Wiress called. "Now choose another dress and this time we're going to wave!" Beetee chuckled.

"I think my Wiress is letting the girls have fun with the dresses in their room." Beetee remarked laughing.

"I don't think I want to play dress-up." Silver muttered blushing. Beetee laughed.

"Well, I'll order some popcorn and us guys can chat." Beetee suggested. Joule and Silver nodded. After changing into sweats and t-shirts, the boys joined Beetee to discuss interview strategy. "So, what would you like to tell District Three tonight?"

"I represent the Engineering Academy." Joule began. "That's what Wiress said. And I'll tell everyone thanks for believing in me because I believe I can make it far." Beetee smiled.

"That's a good attitude to have." Beetee replied as Joule smiled.

"I'll tell Mom, Dad, and Copper hi." Silver answered. "I dunno. I guess I'm just an ordinary guy."

"Well, why do you want people to root for you?" Beetee asked.

"I guess I want to help my allies - we don't disclose allies during the interview do you?" Beetee shook his head. "I thought not. Yeah, that I'll work as a team just like I did in the factory back home." Beetee nodded.

After the girls practiced walking, sitting properly, and waving in various dresses, they relaxed and talked on Kendall's bed in the girls' room wearing yet another set of dresses. Wiress was combing and braiding Alana's hair and Kendall was reclined next to them propped up on the pillows examining her skirt that had green glitter on it. "So, what do you want to tell people back home?" Wiress asked.

"I love my mom, dad, Erica - my little sister, and Braxton, my big brother." Alana began. "Then I'll tell them not to underestimate me because I'm twelve." Wiress nodded.

"Why?" Wiress prodded.

"Because my mentor won when she was twelve." Alana replied simply as Wiress blushed.

"I -" Wiress began. "Oh - Alana!" She wrapped the girl in a hug before crying. Wiress pulled Kendall into the hug and they all wept.

"I hope you go far, Alana. You have spunk. Just like Wiress." Kendall responded holding her district partner's hand.

"What about you, Kendall?"

"I won't give up." Kendall answered. "I - I've seen your bravery Wiress. That's what made me not give up even though I will die there." Wiress sniffled. "Wiress, I don't know what you've faced here, but I know that you make it through. I want to do the same thing." Wiress nodded. "Well, I'm thinking I can't _exactly_ say that, but I'll just say that I face each day with courage just like my mentor did in her games." The girls wrapped each other in a hug and had a good cry before it was time for lunch.

Wiress continued to pace an hour after the tributes had left for the remake center. "Wiress, it's ok. I heard you coaching them. They'll do fine." Beetee soothed putting his hands on her shoulders. Slowly, she turned around and wrapped Beetee in a hug. "They had fun with you, squirt."

"I - I know - but - I don't want to say goodbye." Wiress wailed. "Beetee - I have to say goodbye - and -"

"Shh, I know. You know what, I bet they'll miss you too. They'll work hard to come back." Beetee whispered.

"This part will hurt really bad, huh?" Wiress asked through her tears. As she stared into dark eyes that leaked tears behind wire glasses, she knew Beetee's answer.

"Oh - Wiress - And you hope someone comes back - I - I hoped you would come back so bad." Beetee whispered choking back a sob.

"I wanted - I wanted to be their friend because I remember being scared - but - now they have to leave."

"I know, sweetie. I know." Beetee whispered holding Wiress as she cried. "You have a few hours to let it out now." He held a sobbing Wiress and let a few tears fall into her dark hair. Though he was grateful another Victor shared his plight at growing close to and losing tributes, his heart was torn listening to Wiress' sobs knowing she would face this pain year after year. Eventually, their prep-teams entered the suite to prepare them for the interviews.

"Wiress, why don't we put you in the outfit you wore last year." Horatio suggested. He tugged her silver dress with gold gears and circuits over her head. "Well -" Horatio began as he tugged at it.

"I think I grew." Wiress said. "Capitol food is different from District Three." She reasoned. _Yeah, it makes you sick._ The food at the training center seemed more rich and nausiating than it had been at Kevius' apartment.

"Hm -" Horatio paused. "Your victory tour dresses fit you when you went to pre-Games parties." Wiress shrugged.

"Well, maybe you could - maybe Alana can wear the dress - please, Horatio, please, can she wear it? I don't want to waste it."

"I'll ask her stylist." Horatio said. "Actually - I have a dress that would be perfect for the occasion." Wiress tugged on her bathrobe as Horatio left the room with her old dress. Looking down at her feet, Wiress put her hands on her waist. Now that she thought about it, eating rich food of the Capitol had made her gain some weight. Even though she insisted on daily walks to get her out of the apartment and so she could have time to mull over her inventions, she knew they weren't balancing out the calories she took in at every meal. Even though the meals at the training center were more like feasts, Wiress found herself picking at the food more concerned about how her tributes were eating than what she ate herself. Soon Horatio came back. "Alana will wear the dress." Wiress squealed and wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you so much!" Wiress gasped. After peeling her arms from his middle, Horatio held up a black dress with a v-line neck and a long slit up the side.

"A dress for a growing young lady." He said slipping it over her. Wiress wiggled uncomfortably knowing her front side was a bit too exposed for her liking.

"This is an inappropriate dress for public." Wiress announced. Horatio chuckled and handed her a silver shawl. "Thank you." She met Beetee in the living room. He was dressed in a silver suit and white shirt.

"Let's see our kids." Beetee said taking Wiress' hand in his.

"Alana Copperton." Ceaser Flickerman said as Alana caught Wiress' eye in the mentor section of the large audience and beamed. "I see you are wearing Wiress' old dress."

"Yes!" Alana exclaimed. "Wiress asked her stylist to let me wear it!"

"You're rather close to your mentor, aren't you?" Alana nodded eagerly.

"Yeah! She's like a big sister to me. She's really smart and she gives me the confidence that I can return to my mom, dad, my sister Erica, and my brother Braxton." Alana waved and smiled. "I love you guys, and Panem, don't underestimate me because I'm twelve. Because a smart girl won at twelve, and she's my mentor!" The buzzer sounded and Alana curtseyed before returning to her seat.

"Kendall Nickells, how are you today?" Caesar asked.

"Fine." Kendall replied. "Courageous, I guess."

"Oh?" Caesar asked.

"Yeah. I watch how my mentor goes through every day being strong. She went through the Games and that's a lot to deal with. But she stays strong and helps us. I believe she's made me stronger too." Caesar smiled as the buzzer sounded.

"And that, ladies and gentlemen are the female tributes from District Three!" Caesar announced. Wiress clapped with tears of pride and sadness running down her cheeks. Beetee pulled her into a hug as Caesar turned to the boys. Wiress grasped Beetee's hand knowing his tributes were next to speak.

"Joule Casting." Caesar said. "How are you doing this evening?"

"Good." Joule replied shaking Caesar's hand. "I'm proud to represent the Engineering Academy just like Beetee did. I want to make everyone proud at home. Mom, Dad, Copper, I love you. Don't throw away my books yet, because I might need them next year." Joule winked as the buzzer sounded.

"Silver Ironsmith, how do you feel about these Games?" Caesar asked.

"Well, as an ordinary guy in District Three, I worked in the factories in a team. I will be a good teammate to my allies in the arena."

"Why do you say that?" Caesar asked.

"Because that's what Mom and Dad instilled into Copper my brother and I. Mom, Dad, Copper, I love you guys." Silver said before blinking back tears. "I'll make you proud. Thank you for everything." The buzzer went off before Wiress buried her face into Beetee's blazer and sobbed. She knew all four tributes did well, however, she knew that for all four, tonight was goodbye.


	13. Chapter 13

"Wiress," Alana whispered as Wiress tucked her into bed. "Thank you. For everything." Wiress smiled and kissed her on the forehead. Taking her hands, Wiress gazed into Alana's eyes.

"Alana, you will do well, and I know you will do your best out there." In return, Alana smiled. Going to the other side of the bed, Wiress tucked Kendall in and made sure Kendall's IV wasn't tangled in her blankets. The nurse had set Kendall up with some medicine that would help control her heart murmur and help her body absorb oxygen.

"Kendall, You're a sweet girl." Wiress said holding Kendall's hands.

"Thank you. So are you." Kendall whispered. "I'll watch over you when I'm gone." Wiress nodded.

"My sister will enjoy being with you in The Force." Wiress whispered through her tears.

"I had fun with you." Alana piped up. "You made training less scary, Wiress." Kendall nodded in agreement.

"I - I'll miss you girls so much." Wiress said, her lip trembling. "You did really well in your interviews, and I'm proud of both of you - no matter what happens." After kissing them one more time, she turned off the light in their room. Beetee closed the door to the boys' room and took Wiress' hand. Tears streamed down both their faces as they left the District Suite with a bag of their notebooks and some clothes. Once inside the elevator, Wiress wrapped her arms around her mentor and sobbed.

"I know." Beetee whispered as his own tears rained down on Wiress' head. They exited the elevator and Wiress sniffled and wiped her eyes on a handkerchief Beetee offered her.

"The mentor room is down here?" Wiress asked looking around the Training Center basement. Beetee nodded.

"Yes." Wiress and Beetee gasped as the elevator opened. "My little darling." A familiar Capitol voice drawled. Wiress's hands grew clammy as she felt her temperature drop. Locking her large eyes on Beetee, his pale worried face was the last thing she saw before her brain plunged itself into oblivion.

"Wiress, Wiress, wake up." Gasping, Wiress sat up finding herself in a dim room. She was laying on something soft. "Wiress, sweetie." Kevius wrapped his arms around her. "We still have a little time together."

An hour later, Kevius carried his small charge to the District Three mentor quarters. Beetee made no attempt to hide his disgust as he took Wiress from the Capitol man. Kicking the door closed with a satisfying slam, Beetee set his small co-inventor on her small cot. "Wiress, sweetie, it's me. Beetee." Wiress sniffled and opened her eyes.

"It hurts, Beetee." Wiress whispered.

"I'm calling the nurse." Beetee muttered.

"Don't leave me!" Wiress whimpered. Beetee pushed a button on the wall to call the on-call nurse.

"I won't, squirt." The door opened and a physician entered the room. She was young appearing as if she just graduated from medical school. She had no alterations and her brown hair was pulled into a bun. Her lab coat read: Training Center Medical Staff: Dr. Helenia Rostone.

"Hey, sweetie. Your fellow mentor said you weren't feeling good."

"She has pain." Wiress nodded and turned her face toward the wall. "She fainted earlier." Beetee explained. "It's her first time mentoring."

"I bet you're really stressed out. Where do you hurt?"

"I - " Wiress began before sobbing and curling into a ball under her blankets. "It hurts - a lot - and - it's never hurt before -"

"Where, honey?" Dr. Rostone asked as a look of concern crossed her forehead. Beetee gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

"He used her." Beetee growled.

"She was with a sponsor?" Dr. Rostone asked calmly keeping her voice even.

"Whatever you people call it." Beetee spat. "Yeah. She was used by her sponsor."

"Kevius - and - Mr - Crane -" Wiress stammered. "He - Sideous said - Seneca would give - money for electrical stuff - if I -" Beetee held Wiress' hands and brushed the tears away from her face as Dr. Rostone pulled back the covers and examined her.

"Have you been feeling sick at all?" Dr. Rostone asked making notes on her tablet computer.

"In the morning, sometimes." Wiress said. "I - as the Reaping got closer." Dr. Rostone nodded. "I - I was nervous."

"Ok." Dr. Rostone said. "Wiress, I'm going to do some blood tests, ok? And I'll give you a shot for pain."

"So that's it." Beetee snapped. "You'll just fix her up like nothing happened?"

"My duty is to keep the mentors and tributes healthy while they are in the Training Center." Dr. Rostone said evenly. However, a flash of sympathy crossed her face. "I understand you are worried about your district partner. I will provide her with the care she needs."

"Go to sleep, Wiress." Beetee said gently after helping Wiress drink some liquid medicine. "So we both can be well rested to help the tributes tomorrow." Sitting by her bed, he stroked her hair and held her hand until she was breathing deeply and evenly. Beetee willed himself to sleep knowing Wiress and their four tributes would need help in the morning.


	14. Chapter 14

"This is our map. Move the screen to the right again." Beetee instructed as Wiress held her tablet PC.

"Vital signs." Wiress said looking at the split screen that contained readings from Kendall and Alana's trackers. She flicked her screen to the right again. "And a map again. Oh. There they are." Wiress looked at the two red dots that were interspersed in a circle of blue blinking dots surrounding the cornucopia. Looking up into their viewing monitor, Wiress glimpsed at Alana and Kendall's scared faces. Beetee's viewing screen was split as well showing Joule and Silver. "Beetee - this is just as scary." Wiress whispered.

"I know, squirt." Beetee whispered squeezing her hand. Wiress panned out on her map to get a glimpse of the arena. A volcano was on one side and a cliff was on the other. The sky was brilliant blue and bright flowers dotted the landscape.

"Ten...Nine...Eight...Seven...Six...Five...Four... Three...Two...One." The gong sounded and the bloodbath began.

"Alana and Kendall both grabbed packs. They're running along with Six. Look. That's Joule - WIRES, JOULE! WATCH IT!" Beetee roared as a boy from Four nearly sliced his leg off with a sword. "Joule and Silver are running with the girls."

"Run - keep running!" Wiress urged watching the two red dots join the two blue dots labeled 3M. Their tributes joined three blue dots: two labeled 6M and one labeled 6F. "Where's the other girl?"

"Julie?" Beetee asked. He touched the dot labeled 6M and a small window opened showing: Tarra Miles. 16F. Score 4. "Her name, age, gender, and training score."

"There she is." Wiress said tapping another dot near the cornucopia labeled 6F. "Oh -" Wiress gasped as the main screen zoomed in on the Career Pack hacking away at tributes near the cornucopia. Someone mercilessly stepped on the chest of a girl wearing a jacket designating her as District Six. Laughing, the Career from Two gripped his spear in both hands and slammed it into the girl's abdomen. Wiress' stomach clenched. "Oh -"

"Wiress -" Beetee gasped pulling her to her feet before her breakfast appeared on the floor.

"She wasn't ours, honey." Beetee whispered holding a shaking Wiress. "Focus on the viewing screens."

"They're looking for somewhere to hide." Wiress said quietly. "Wait - they're slowing down - why are they slowing down?" Wiress looked down at her tablet.

"No, look at the viewing screen, squirt. See if you can figure it out." Wiress nodded. She watched the group gather in a circle. The camera switched to a close areal view. Suddenly Wiress' tablet beeped.

"It's Kendall." Wiress whispered through her tears. The numbers from Kendall's tracker were blinking red.

"Go to the gifts page." Beetee instructed. "Go to medicine."

"I don't think we have heart medicine." Wiress pointed out in a shaky voice.

"No." Beetee replied gently. "But we have pain medicine. Send that, honey. We'll make it easier for Kendall." Shaking, Wiress pressed the button next to the pain medicine. Watching the viewing screen, she saw Joule point to the sky. He hurried over to Kendall who was laying on the ground, her head resting in Silver's lap. Alana was on her left holding her hand.

"Wiress sent this." Joule explained as he opened the syringe with trembling hands. He injected it into her leg as the instructions required. "Kendall? Is it working?" He asked a few tense moments later as her breathing became less labored.

"Y - yes." Kendall whispered. "Alana - take - my jacket."

"Ok." Alana said as Kendall smiled.

"I - won't - need it - soon." Joule sniffled and held Kendall's other hand.

"Thanks for getting the backpack. And the jug. We'll use it for water." Silver said. Kendall nodded.

"Wiress - thank you - Mom - dad - love you." Kendall whispered before drawing a sharp breath. She took several more gasps of air before her head lolled to the side. With a long sigh, Kendall's grip slackened on Alana and Joule's arms. Her eyes fluttered open even as her vital signs flashed zeros on Wiress' tablet.

"Goodbye, Kendall." Silver whispered. He gently helped the others peel her coat off before folding it and handing it to a weeping Alana. Kneeling at her shoulder, Alana closed Kendall's eyes. Plucking a nearby daisy, she placed it in Kendall's hand before placing her hands over her chest. Silver and Joule took Alana's hands and pulled her to her feet. The group moved further into the bushes and gave Kendall the district sign until the hovercraft picked her up.

"It's how she wanted it to be, Wiress, honey." Beetee whispered as Wiress sobbed. "Come on, sweetie, we can leave. I think they'll be ok."

"N - No - I - I don't want to leave - it's like - we gave up." Wiress sobbed. "I just - I just need to cry for her." Though tears poured from her eyes, Wiress reached for her notebook and began looking through her drawings of traps. Beetee noticed her tears were in sharp contrast to other non-Career districts' mentors who resignedly watched their children die with blank expressions on their faces. "I - I cry because - I just don't give up."

"You cry because you're brave." Beetee said barely above a whisper. "You're not afraid to show the Capitol that this is wrong."


	15. Chapter 15

The District Three tributes were subdued as they walked through the colorful foliage in the arena. Tarra held Alana's hand as she cried silently. "I'm sorry about Julie too." Joule piped up. "I never saw her come out from the cornucopia area." Tentatively he reached for Tarra's hand.

"Thanks." Tarra whispered as she took Joule's small hand in hers.

"This looks like a good tree." George remarked as they came to a tree with a thick trunk and sprawling roots.

"I'll set up a tent. There's a big space behind there." Rivet said as the group made camp.

Wiress watched the group in her and Beetee's viewing screen.

"Um - so -" Joule began twisting a cloth bag in his hands. He looked at Tarra who was rummaging around in her bag. "Um - we could find plants. If you want."

"Ok." Tarra replied. "You did well with the plants, didn't you?" She smiled at his dark blush which answered her question.

"Have fun on your date, Joule!" Silver laughed before a stick was thrown in his direction. "Oooh!" He moaned falling onto the ground melodramatically. "Beetee help!" Wiress and Beetee giggled at his antics.

"I can see why Kendall had fun with you guys." Rivet pointed out. "Goofballs." Silver chuckled as he sat back up and continued his work.

"Gotta tease the kid though." Silver pointed out as the two began making a fire. Alana was nearby sharpening some knives and collecting sticks to make a trap or tool of some kind. Joule and Tarra returned with an empty bag announcing that many of the plants were indeed poisonous. The group figured out their food rations before eating a sparse dinner. Evening fell before a succession of cannon blasts echoed through the arena. Beetee held Wiress close as the pictures of the dead tributes flashed across the sky knowing Kendall's face would be in the litany.

"Let's get some dinner." Beetee said. "Come on. There's a dining room here." Wiress followed him.

"I'm not hungry." Wiress whispered as Beetee opened the door revealing a table that sat 24 people in the middle of a room. Other tables lined the room with platters of food.

"You need to eat, squirt."

"Beetee, I want alfredo." Wiress said suddenly.

"Let's see if they have it." Beetee said looking at the different dinner entrees. "They have lasagna." Wiress shook her head. "We can order it." Wiress met the gaze of an Avox who was checking the temperature of a large ham. "Could you order me a plate of chicken alfredo? With carrots?" The Avox nodded and went to the wall where a tablet PC was mounted for the hospitality and custodial staff to communicate. He entered her order and gestured to the table.

"Wiress, do you want anything from the table?" Beetee asked. Wiress shook her head. "Are you sure?" He asked again concerned about his co-mentor who looked quite tired and worn out. Wiress buried her head in her arms and cried until her food came. Beetee rubbed her back until she was calm enough to eat. Slowly other mentors joined them at the table.

"Nine is completely out." Someone muttered.

"Ten's half gone." the male mentor from Ten said. "Y'all that got wiped out on the first day will go home, I reckon?"

"Well, we can shift our funds to the non-careers." The mentor from Seven said.

"Three." Lila, the female mentor from Six said before humming and sipping on her small glass of morphling. "To Three."

"Three and Six are allies." Beetee said. "Do we have any other non-career alliances?" He asked the group. Heads shook. "Well, if you want, you can give funds to us, but we're doing well."

"How did you manage that?" Blight's mentor from Seven asked raising his eyebrows. Wiress blushed and stared down at the table in shame. "Selling inventions?"

"No." Wiress whispered.

"If only she could." Beetee whispered furiously.

"What's wrong, honey?" Seeder asked putting a hand on Wiress' shoulder. One look into the large shame-filled eyes told Seeder all she needed to know. "Oh, honey, it happens to all of us eventually. Ain't fun and it's wrong, but they done it to everyone in the room. I promise you." Wiress nodded as Seeder gave her a warm hug.

"Ahem -" Beetee began. "A third of the remaining funds can go to the Three and Six alliance and the other two thirds can be split among the remaining non-career tributes."

"Sounds like a plan." Seeder said still holding Wiress. "Hey, Beetee, can I ask Wiress something about something in the District Eleven quarters? I think the AC is running funny."

"Sure." Beetee said. Wiress followed Seeder into the District Eleven mentors' quarters. Like hers and Beetee's room, it contained two cots and an intercom for paging the Training Center staff. "Listen to this when I turn on the AC really hard." Seeder turned on the cooling unit.

"The clanking is from the fan. It just needs oiled." Wiress said. Seeder patted the bed.

"Sit down." Seeder said gently. "Hey, baby girl, I wanted to talk to you and no one can hear us with that thing on, ok?" Wiress nodded grateful for someone like a mom to talk to.

"My - my parents don't even know about what's happened to me." Wiress whispered before crying. "They can't know - they can't -" Seeder rubbed her back soothingly.

"I know, honey. I told my daddy why I had to go to the Capitol after I won and before the Victory Tour - girl, he tried to board a train to the Capitol to slit my sponsors' throats. Daddy took down three Peacekeepers. He would've gone on that train if - well - I know, honey. They'd be furious with the Capitol."

"Dr. Rostone - she - she's going to do some tests - Miss - Seeder - What if they made me sick here?" Seeder brushed tears away from Wiress' face. Wiress told Seeder how she had been feeling and why the doctor was called in the previous evening.

"No matter what, I know Beetee will be there for you." Seeder said. "Sweetie, he loves you. He'll wait for you until you're grown." Wiress nodded before they left the unit. Beetee greeted her with a hug.

"Thank you for talking with her." Beetee said gratefully. Seeder nodded and smiled.

"Anytime. If she needs anything, you holler." Beetee blinked back tears of gratefulness. Among the non-career mentors, he knew several were bidding their time until they could get back at the Capitol. After watching what the Capitol did to his Wiress, he was more than happy to join their efforts.


	16. Chapter 16

"Wiress?" Looking up from her sketch of a trap in her notebook, Wiress met the eyes of Dr. Rostone.

"Yes?" She asked wondering why the doctor had returned to her sleeping quarters. Beetee shared the same look of concern as he met Dr. Rostone's gaze.

"I want to follow up with you as there is some down-time during the Games." She explained gently.

"I'll watch the tributes for you, Wiress." Beetee said knowing Wiress didn't want to be pulled far from the mentor room in case Alana, Joule, or Silver needed something. Wiress nodded and wrapped her arms around Beetee. "You'll be in good hands, squirt." He whispered kissing her on the cheek. Wiress followed Dr. Rostone to the medical area of the training center. When Dr. Rostone opened the to the examination room, Wiress gasped seeing Kevius sitting in a chair next to the gurney in the corner.

"Lay down, sweetie." Dr. Rostone instructed. Wiress lay on the gurney. "Wiress, Kevius is here because he's been caring for you while you've been in the Capitol." Nodding slowly, Wiress focused her large fear-filled eyes on Dr. Rostone. "He's also here for another reason." Taking a deep breath, Dr. Rostone consulted Wiress' chart inwardly grimacing at the diagnosis. "Wiress, you're pregnant. And it's yours and Kevius' child."

"But - I'm - I -" Wiress stammered. "I'm thirteen."

"Wiress, honey, do you have health class at the Engineering school?" Wiress nodded. "Has your period started?"

"Y - Yes - it was on the Victory Tour." Wiress explained blushing. "I made Beetee get Miss Williams because I needed help in the bathroom. He kept wanting to help me thinking I was sick so finally I had to yell -" Wiress' blush deepened at the recollection, "'Beetee! That thing that happens to girls that we learned about in health class is happening! GET MISS WILLIAMS NOW!'" Dr. Rostone chuckled causing Wiress to giggle. "Beetee blushed at me the rest of the morning. Until we got to District Eight and we looked at the fabric factories." As the doctor felt her abdomen, the weight of the diagnosis hit her. "Dr. Rostone, I'm - I'm scared." Wiress whispered before crying.

"I'll take care of you. And our child." Kevius whispered. "They don't even have to know you're pregnant, honey. You can live with me and have it at the apartment - with a skilled nurse and doctor. We can appear with our child at the next reaping." At that, Wiress paled.

"I - No - oh Kevius, he - or she - will be reaped - because I'm a Victor - I'm scared - I can't - I can't have him go into the arena - please don't make him, Kevius, please!" Instinctively, Wiress' hands went to where the child was growing underneath her skin.

"My little darling, he or she will live in the Capitol. With us. As we are common law married, the child will be a Capitol citizen."

"We - what?" Wiress squeaked.

"We appear in public as husband and wife, and that's on all your Capitol documents. The Supreme Court approved our marriage." Kevius held Wiress' hand as her brain swirled. "My little darling, you were meant to stay here." Facing the wall so no one could see her tears, Wiress wept.

"Wiress, honey, I know this is a lot to take in." Dr. Rostone said gently. "You're going to take a prenatal vitamin each day, something to help with your nausea, and a calming pill that's safe for you and the baby ok?" Wiress nodded knowing she had no choice. Once the Supreme Court had sentenced her to living in the Capitol, she now realized they had meant forever. They had meant to pull her away from her district, from Beetee so she would turn into an obedient Victor who praised the Capitol instead of sparking an uprising.

"Ok." Wiress whispered. She allowed Kevius to help her sit up. He helped her sip water as she took her new medicine. At that moment, she decided not to tell Beetee. The news would send him into a rage that would only be quelled when the perpetrator was hurt or killed by Beetee's own hands. He didn't need that distraction - he _couldn't_ have that distraction during the Games. Because four tributes in the arena needed both Wiress and Beetee fighting with all their strength to bring one of them home.

* * *

A/N: Short but plot-thickening chapter. See the last chapter of "Large Eyes Opened" to learn more about Wiress' sentence to the Capitol. Basically, she was accused of trying to begin an uprising. As punishment, she was forced to live in the Capitol and be used for their needs. Because her sentence deprived her of many of her rights, Kevius will not be punished by the Capitol for his deed. However, he will have to contend with a _very_ irate Beetee at some point...


	17. Chapter 17

"Hey, squirt." Beetee whispered as Wiress entered the Mentor Control Room. She had deposited her medicine in the District Three sleeping quarters before taking a seat next to Beetee. "What did Dr. Rostone say?" Sniffling, Wiress shook her head. "Wiress, honey?"

"I - I - just have - stress." Wiress partially admitted. "It just caught up to me." Allowing Beetee to wrap his arms around her, she rested her head on his chest and cried.

"Sssh, baby girl, Beetee will get you through." Seeder whispered patting Wiress on the shoulder as she passed their workstation. "Everyone's asleep. The Careers, your kids, everyone." Wiress nodded. "Seven and Chaff are taking the night watch if both of you wanna get some sleep."

"Ok." Beetee agreed not wanting to turn down sleep as he had spent sleepless nights watching his tributes later in the Games. "C'mon, Wiress." Leading her back to their quarters, he tucked her into bed. Turning on her side, Wiress placed her hands over her stomach and cried. Hearing the sound of metal on tile, she realized Beetee had pulled his cot next to hers. "Hey, squirt." Beetee whispered wrapping his arms around her form after covering himself with his blankets. "Sssssh, get some sleep." Wiress nodded as she cried herself to sleep.

The next few days of the Games were relatively peaceful as the group from Three and Six slowly made their way to the mountain in the arena. Wiress sent some anti-itch cream to Alana after she brushed up on a plant with large leaves that caused her arms to break out in hives. Together she and Beetee figured out the plants and animals in the arena were dangerous and inedible. They sent the message with regular gifts of food such as several rolls to split between the group or a bag of trail-mix to share. They saved their money for gifts that mattered such as wire and tools to make traps.

"Joule?" Tarra asked before re-wrapping herself in her blanket their fourth night in the arena. A light rain was falling. "Is there a dry spot next to you?"

"No." Joule said. Rivet and Alana were taking the first watch and he, George, and Tarra would take the second night watch. Silver had insisted on going on a night mission using night vision glasses Beetee had sent him. "I'm wet except for in my sleeping bag." He watched Tarra struggle with her blanket. "My sleeping bag is big though. Um -" He paused.

"Are you sure?" Tarra asked deducing his unspoken invitation. He nodded as she crawled in next to him. "Ooo! It's so warm." Joule smiled.

"Now we can sleep. George has been asleep for an hour." Joule said looking over at the curled up sleeping bag next to them. He smiled at Tarra as she got comfortable. Pulling his coat out from under his head, he rearranged it. "Put your head on that."

"That's your pillow." Tarra said.

"It's both of ours now." Joule replied. He blushed and suppressed a squeak as Tarra wrapped her arms around him. "Good - good night." Joule stammered before wrapping his arms around Tarra and tucking his head underneath her chin.

"Thank you, Joule." Tarra whispered before kissing him on the forehead.

"Wiress, look." Beetee chuckled showing Wiress his tablet. Joule's heart rate had increased. Even though his eyes were closed, his face was beet red and he was grinning ear to ear. "I think someone's a little twitterpaited." Wiress giggled.

"Oh - look - they're on the main screen!" She gasped. "Oh, Beetee, do you think the Capitol likes that? Their little story?"

"I dunno, squirt. Maybe." Beetee said smiling. "That would help them, wouldn't it." Wiress nodded eagerly. She made a note to send a piece of bread for Joule and Tarra to share. Wiress turned her attention to Alana and Rivet.

"Do you see anything?" Alana asked worriedly.

"Something's moving." Rivet replied. Gripping a throwing knife, Alana aimed at some bushes that were rustling. Quickly, Alana threw her knife before a bird fell out of the tree.

"Do you think there could be more?" Alana asked worriedly as Rivet examined the fallen bird.

"No. But look at its claws on its feet." Rivet pointed out. Alana paled. "Good shot, kid. It could've hurt us." After a tense few minutes, they decided no other animals were coming for a while. Halfway through the night, they woke George, Joule and Tarra up for their watch. Wiress watched Alana fall asleep in her sleeping bag before closing her eyes herself.

Beetee allowed Wiress to doze in his arms knowing she was tired from the stress she had been through. He wondered if there was something else going on, but figured Wiress had her reasons for not telling him. As the sun came up in the arena, Beetee watched Joule and George keeping watch. Joule smiled and looked down at a sleeping Tarra who's head was resting in his lap while the rest of her was in the sleeping bag. Prodding Wiress gently, Beetee pointed to the viewing screen.

"Aaaaaw." Wiress sighed as Joule leaned down and kissed Tarra before her eyes fluttered open.

"You - you dozed off." Joule stammered looking into Tarra's bemused face.

"Joule! You just kissed her! On TV!" Alana squealed behind the two.

"Hey! _You_ were supposed to be asleep!" Joule yelped indignantly.

"I was, but I woke up." Alana replied. Tarra sat up and giggled at the youngest tributes' exchange. Beetee and Wiress chuckled as they watched the scene unfold on their screens.

"Ok, kids." George said as he and Rivet returned to their camp with more sticks and rocks. "Here's the plan. We saw the Careers hanging out further up the mountain. We could set traps for them because eventually, they will have to come back down."

"Why eventually?" Joule asked.

"They might need these." Silver said appearing from behind a bush with an extra backpack. He triumphantly tossed it on the ground and beckoned the others to have a look. Inside was a large stash of the Careers' food. "Let _their_ hunger games begin." He quipped before everyone started laughing and cheering.


	18. Chapter 18

"Put that here." Alana called.

"No! Here! You get more force this way!" Joule called before climbing a tree. "Look, if we put the wire here, they run into it and put more tension on the wire setting off the trap."

"He's right." Silver said. Alana came out from under a flower bush and sneezed.

"Ooow! My nose burns! I smelled the flowers." Alana gasped rubbing her nose furiously. It was indeed bright red with small rash-like bumps.

"Put this on." Tarra suggested handing Alana some anti-itch cream.

"Up my nose?" Alana squeaked. Wiress watched the viewing screen as Alana shoved a glob of cream up her nose. "Eeew! Panem better not be watching!"

"They're not." Wiress giggled looking at the main screen in the mentor control room where the broadcast focused on the Careers' predicament of no food. As she studied her tributes' positions in relation to the Careers, she began to think about potential traps.

"You can give them clues based on small items." Beetee suggested. "We have enough to do that."

"Ok." Wiress said. "I want them to figure it out though. They seem to be doing ok." Joule, Alana, and Tarra worked on traps. Rivet led the way and Silver and George were the middle and rear guard. Silver helped with larger traps when needed.

"Guys! Don't climb that tree!" Silver called late in the afternoon as Joule jumped up and grabbed a branch. "JOULE, GET DOWN RIGHT NOW!" Alana and Tarra screamed as two brown snakes slithered down the trunk. As quickly as she could, Alana threw two knives, one of which pinned one of the snakes to the tree. Joule began slashing the air with a razor wire.

"Back up!" Joule commanded as he slashed at the snakes with the wire. "DUCK!" He yelped as he flung the wire around the tree trunk and pulled. "OW!" He yelped as he yanked on the wire to cut the snakes' bodies apart using the pressure of the wire against the tree. "It - It went through my gloves -" He gasped as bright red blood spurted from his palms.

"Joule!" Tarra gasped wrapping her arms around him from behind and grasping his hands in hers. "Get the first-aid pack!" Rivet grabbed some cream and bandages out of his backpack. "HURRY!"

"It's - It's not that much blood." Joule stammered before closing his eyes to ward off passing out at the sight of his wounds.

"You'll be ok." Tarra whispered before kissing Joule on the cheek. "I got you."

"George, Silver, guard us." He ordered before approaching Joule. "I think we can fix this, buddy." He said reassuringly as he rubbed healing cream on Joule's hands before bandaging them. Joule opened his eyes as Rivet finished bandaging his hands.

"Thanks, Rivet. Tarra." Joule said gratefully as he wrapped his allies in a hug. "Ok, our razor wire is gone." Joule pointed out. He winced before a look of concentration returned to his face. "So, we have to think of something else."

"Maybe we don't have to do traps for a bit." Alana suggested grinning.

"What?" The group asked.

"Well," Alana paused. The group had paused in a boulder field and had plopped down on some rocks to rest. "If the Careers think that all the traps are gone, they'll be less careful."

"That's a brilliant idea!" Everyone chorused.

"I - I was asking myself, 'What would Wiress do?'" Alana remarked. "Well, should we look for places to camp now?" Everyone nodded before continuing down their path.

"That was a close call." Beetee said once the group made camp in a small rock-cave. Wiress nodded noting the Careers were still in their camp planning revenge on the tributes that stole their food. Thanks to their dedicated sponsors, the Career Pack had replenished half of their food supply.

"Yes, it was." Wiress agreed. "Oh, Beetee, I want their plan to work, but I know it will be more dangerous as they approach the Careers." Beetee nodded.

"I know, honey. I know." Beetee whispered as he held a trembling Wiress. Just then the door to the mentor room opened. An Avox approached Wiress and put a hand on her shoulder. She smiled at Wiress and beckoned her to stand.

"I have to go, Beetee." Wiress said. The Avox led her out of the room. "Kevius?" Wiress asked. Automatically, her hand went to where their child was growing.

"Wiress, sweetie." Kevius said taking her hand and kissing it. "Kiss me, my little darling." He requested as he wrapped Wiress in a hug. Wiress' lips met his. "Come, my dear. I have to ask you something." Wiress nodded. Kevius led her to a private conference room nearby. "First of all, how are you doing?" He asked placing a hand over Wiress' abdomen.

"Better. The medicine helps." Wiress answered. She gulped as Kevius stroked the skin under his fingers.

"You want your little group to succeed, don't you?" Kevius asked. Wiress nodded eagerly - no - desperately,

"Please, Kevius. Please." Wiress begged taking her hands in his, her large eyes searching his face to detect sympathy for her tributes.

"Hm. Well, my little darling, I'll talk to Sideous and see what he thinks. He is one of the Gamemakers after all. I do think Panem is watching to see how close your group can get to achieving their plans."

"Kevius - if - if you let - if you ask Sideous to let my tributes take out the Career path, I will name our child after one of them - like their middle name or something - please!" Wiress pleaded. Kevius smiled.

"Tell me about them, my darling." Kevius requested taking Wiress' hand. Wiress told him about Alana being like a younger sister, Joule's crush on Tarra and his achievements at the Engineering Academy, and Silver's role as a big brother to the group. Wiress realized they had reached the District Three suite.

"This would be Alana and Kendall's room, isn't it?" Kevius asked leading Wiress into one of the tributes' rooms. Tears sprang to Wiress' eyes looking at Alana and Kendall's made beds. "Show me Alana's bed."

"That one." Wiress said pointing to the far bed. "Kendall was in the first bed so we could open the door and check on her right away." Kevius nodded and sat down next to the brightly colored fluffy pillows on Alana's bed. Wiress smiled looking at the pile of pillows thinking about their use in pillow fights before the girls entered the arena. "Both of them liked the pillows."

"I bet. So soft." Kevius said. "My little darling, I missed you." Wiress gulped realizing Kevius would take her on Alana's bed. "Sweetie, I'll talk to Sideous about keeping the kids safe. And if we have a girl, you can use Alana for her middle name, ok?" Wiress nodded meekly before Kevius gently pulled her onto the bed with him. With all her heart, she hoped this meeting would keep her tributes safe so their plan could so Panem could see how a team of rag-tag nerdy tributes could outsmart the Careers and the Capitol.


	19. Chapter 19

"The group will complete their traps." Kevius said proudly as he walked into the Mentor control room with Wiress at his side. "Thanks to you, my little darling." He whispered as he pulled Wiress into another kiss.

"Thank you." Beetee said not hiding his disgust from his voice as he glared at Kevius. "You may leave the room." He hissed as Kevius hastily left and closed the door. "Wiress, honey, come here." Slowly, Wiress walked to her seat and sat down. As she began flipping through her notebook and checking the sponsorship money on her tributes' tablets, Beetee realized her focus on work was to avoid talking about the last hour. "They're doing ok, squirt." Beetee whispered. "They're about halfway up the mountain."

As night fell in the arena, Alana, George, and Rivet took the first watch as Tarra, Joule, and Silver went to bed. "How are your hands?" Rivet asked as Joule climbed into his sleeping bag.

"They don't feel bad." Joule said. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to change the bandages.

"That will leave our trail." Alana pointed out. "Give them to me and I'll burn them." She had a smoldering fire in a pit.

"Ok." Joule agreed wincing as Rivet removed the bandages. "I think they're ok."

"They are." Rivet said. "They don't' feel tender or warm?" Joule shook his head. Alana took the used bandages and disposed of them as Rivet re-wrapped Joule's hands. "Ok, Good night. Get some sleep, buddy."

"Thanks." Joule whispered before beckoning to Tarra.

"No awkwardness, guys." George called from his post. "I'll tell Silver on you!" He chuckled as Joule squeaked his protests.

"He's funny when he's embarrassed." Alana quipped as she finished adjusting the firepit so the coals and rocks would emit heat without much smoke.

"Gotta tease them." George chuckled. Alana grinned then sighed and looked into the fire with a distant look on her face. "What's up, kid?" George asked concerned.

"I don't want to leave you guys." Alana whispered as tears came to her eyes. Rivet sat next to her. "We can't be allies forever."

"Well, we could do what your mentor and six did." Rivet pointed out. "Stick together until other tributes pull us apart. And if we're the last ones standing, well, that's not our problem." Alana gulped knowing Rivet's words could be seen as rebellion. Suddenly, she spotted a parachute.

"Oh!" Alana gasped opening it. Six small District Three rolls served on a plate that was shaped like a train wheel were in the package. "Rivet - Wiress sent this." Rivet grinned. "I bet there's something with this wheel." Alana took it and brushed the crumbs off. One of the triangles of metal popped off. On closer examination, it was a wire-cutter. Other pieces of the 'plate' were screwdrivers, coils of wire, a gear, and some flat pocket-sized flashlights. "Thank you, Wiress!" Alana called quietly knowing Wiress could hear her.

"That was a genius little gift, Wire." Beetee said quietly wrapping his co-inventor in a hug. Wiress nodded. "Sends them a message."

"Tributes. And the gamemakers." Wiress whispered.

"Do you need to get some sleep, Wiress?" Beetee asked a few hours later as the clock in the main room read 10:00pm.

"No. When did you sleep?" Wiress asked. Gazing into Beetee's eyes behind his glasses she noticed the redness and puffiness around his eyes never really went way from the first few nights of the Games.

"Last night. But I know you've been sleeping every night." Beetee explained. "Did the doctor want you to keep up on your sleep?" Wiress shrugged but found her hand going to her abdomen at the mention of her doctor. However, she knew Beetee needed to get some rest.

"I'll be ok. For tonight. So you can sleep." Wiress replied confidently. Still not convinced, Beetee looked at her left hand rubbing her stomach over her clothes. He didn't want her awake if she was in pain.

"I'll bring out your stomach medicine, ok? You go to sleep if you need to. I mean it, squirt." Beetee said before kissing Wiress on the forehead. "I really do appreciate letting me get some rest." Wiress grinned.

"Just being a good district partner, Beetee." Wiress quipped before Beetee went to their quarters. After an hour, the door opened.

"Hi." Wiress jumped and then realized it was only a kid's voice. _Wait, what was a kid doing in here?_ She stood up and looked behind her. Ten year old Seneca Crane was by Beetee's chair holding his father's pass-key to enter the control rooms.

"Seneca?" Wiress asked giving him a puzzled look. "What are you doing in here?"

"My dad said I could come in and see what you guys do."

"Who did he say to talk to?" Wiress asked looking around. She and the female mentor from Two were up keeping watch. Seven had been taken completely out as had Five. Their mentors had left shortly after their tributes had died.

"I could chose. And you're not intimidating since you're still kinda still growing up." Wiress chuckled but the comment caught her off guard. Her hand went to her stomach again. _I'm growing up but I'm having a child._ She thought, her heart heavy with the cruel irony.

"Ok." Wiress said. "Um - you can sit in Beetee's seat. Beetee locked his tablet but I know his code." Wiress pointed out before explaining the screens and her tablet.

"Dad controls the - I mean - different parts of the arena. Other Gamemakers do different things." Seneca said before rubbing his eyes.

"Seneca, I think you should go to bed." Wiress said as he yawned.

"I sorta get to see what happens at night." Seneca said proudly around another yawn.

"Yeah, but it's 2am." Wiress said. "Where's your dad?"

"He just got back." Sideous said at the doorway. "C'mon, son. Let's go back to the Gamemaker control room. The Avox should've put fresh sheets on your bed."

"Dad! I want to see what you guys do at night!"

"We're not doing anything tonight." Sideous replied.

"Seneca, you really should sleep." Wiress said. "I'd want to sleep than have to worry about my kids in there - it's - you don't know what it's like watching them wondering if they're ok -" Wiress' voice cracked as she rubbed her stomach in slow circles. "Don't let the Games make you grow up to soon, ok?"

"Ok." Seneca said quietly. "Your kids will do ok. You won." He replied smiling at her. Wiress nodded.

"Thank you for showing him around, Victor Carpenter." Sideous said smiling.

"You're welcome, Gamemaker Crane." Wiress replied. She waited until the door had closed to cry silently. She was thirteen watching other young teenagers battle for their lives, yet a ten year old was being mentored to take life. As she pondered these things and thought about her own child, she wished desperately she could do something to make the cruel world of Panem change. Smiling she realized her encouraging her group to stick together and refuse to fight each other was a small start. _Even if it's just my group of tributes, we'll show them that they can defy the Capitol even when they are imprisoned in the Capitol's arena. _


	20. Chapter 20

"Guys, this is the last trap." Silver whispered in a low voice as he tied wire around a tree. Wiress chewed on her fingernails watching Silver, Joule, Alana, George, Rivet, and Tarra build the largest trap near the Career Pack's camp.

"I buried the main cable." Rivet announced. A cable ran under the path and connected to a series of gears nailed to a tree and camouflaged by leaves. The gears held a wire that was part of a larger pulley system. When a tribute stepped on a cable, it would wrap itself around the leg and foot pulling the person into a bush with skin irritant leaves or hoist the person into an inescapable wire trap in the trees.

"Now. For the distraction." Alana whispered. With George as her guard, she climbed a tree near the Careers' camp. Grabbing some mud clumps from her pockets, she threw them into the jugs of water.

"HEY!" One of the boys from One yelled angrily. Grabbing his sword, he glared toward Alana's tree.

"Get down!" George hissed. Alana barely heard his warning over the pounding of her heart as the Career's angry eyes met hers and he began climbing the tree.

"Alana!" Wiress gasped staring at the main screen. Grasping Beetee's hand in a white knuckled grip, she watched in horror as the Career came closer to Alana, sword drawn ready to strike.

Quickly, Alana threw a knife. As in slow motion, it sliced through the boy's neck. She turned her head away and threw up as he fell from the tree, hitting the ground as his cannon fired. Jumping out of the tree, she and George ran back toward their group. "RUN!" She yelled hearing the other Careers yelling and running down the path.

"Watch where we put the traps!" Joule called before grabbing Tarra's hand to run down the path at hearing Alana's warning. Rivet was running along with them.

"Alana, you're that much closer to getting out of here, kid." Silver soothed as he sat with Alana on the side of the path as she sobbed uncontrollably. He had met up with Alana and George as they ran down the path.

"I killed him, Silver." Alana wailed. "We're - we're kids killing each other."

"I know, but that's Panem. C'mon. Let's keep going." George said calmly. "Our mentors dealt with it somehow." Just then they heard the screams of the Careers caught in the first trap.

The main screen in the Mentor control room showed two Career tributes tangled in the first trap screaming in terror as metal wires hoisted them in the air and tangled around their limbs. They had virtually no way to escape. "They did it." Beetee whispered watching the scene with mixed emotions. He was proud of his tributes, but the pain from remembering his own games reemerged.

"I know. So why does it hurt?" Wiress asked with tears in her eyes.

"Because they caused another person pain. And we all know it." Beetee whispered rubbing Wiress's back. They watched the screen as two other Careers made it further down the path. The remaining boy from One was caught in another trap that wrapped him in wire that had a steady electric current. He yelled as the wire slowly burnt his skin.

"Guys!" Tarra called as Alana, Silver, and George caught up to her, Joule, and Rivet. "We're almost there!"

"Yup three fourths of the way down." Rivet added. "I think we got almost all of them." The six allies wrapped each other in a group hug before a deafening explosion rocked the ground and shook the mountain.

"IT'S A VOLCANO!" George yelled. "Run, you guys, just run!"

Wiress watched in horror as the cameras panned out showing a roaring volcano on one side of the arena. "Run, kids." Beetee whispered as he held a crying shaking Wiress in his arms.

Ash began falling on the tributes causing them to gag. However, they continued running. "I see the bottom! We're gonna make it!" Joule yelled before the side of the mountain exploded in a mix of rock, ash, and molten lava.

Once the dust from the second eruption settled, the mentors had a look at the damage. The cameras switched to a close up of Silver and George laying sprawled on the ground with Alana between them. Even in death, the three of them grasped hands. Further down the mountain, Rivet was shown pinned to the ground by a boulder. The rock that struck his head killing him instantly was next to him dripping his blood. At the foot of the mountain, the camera focused on a small figure crawling out from under the ash and rock debris.

"Tarra." Joule groaned as hot rocks burned his small body. Pushing the scorching debris off of him, he crawled toward the sound of someone crying in pain. "Tarra!" He gasped. Tears mixed with blood streamed down his face as he stared at her broken body among the volcanic rocks. Ignoring the deep gashes covering his body, and a broken left arm, he crawled over to her. She was half buried in the debris. Though she was able to free her arms, she was bleeding profusely from her limbs and chest.

"Joule. My Joule." Tarra whispered as blood trickled out of her mouth. She reached her bloodstained hand toward Joule who grasped it before collapsing next to her.

"I - thank you - I - I love you." Joule whispered curling his body toward hers.

"I - love -" Tarra began before choking. Joule rested his hand on her cheek before she gasped for one final breath. A tear trickled down Joule's face before both their cannons fired.

Suddenly, a grief-laden wail cut through the mentor room. "Wiress!" Beetee gasped looking at his district partner kneeling on the floor, rocking back and forth, hands over her face wailing for the four tributes from her district and four more that she got to know through the course of the Games. "Wiress, come on, honey." Beetee whispered kneeling down and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Sweetie, we can go into our quarters if you want." Still sobbing hysterically, Wiress batted his hand away.

"He - He said - they - would be safe - he - he promised - He promised, Beetee! He promised!" Wiress wailed. "_He promised me they would leave everyone alone!_" Wiress screamed in anger and grief. Suddenly Beetee's blood ran cold at Wiress' implication.

"Get up." He said with gritted teeth. "Wiress, get up." Staring at Wiress's large sad eyes that were leaking tears caused his blood to boil in fury at the Capitol, at the ones that caused her immense pain.

"N - N-o-o-o he - he can't see me - crying - like this - he - he can't -" Wiress pleaded through her sobs.

"YES HE DOES! He needs to see _exactly_ what he did. Now GET UP!" Beetee yanked his co-mentor to her feet. "WE'RE SHOWING THIS CAPITOL SCUM HOW WRONG THIS IS!" He roared before stomping out of the mentor room. Beetee had no plan for entering the Gamemaker control room, except that he knew his fury needed to be unleashed for killing his tributes and breaking their promise to Wiress after using her over and over until she was a broken shell of the thirteen year old girl he loved.


	21. Chapter 21

The strong odors of roast meats and spiced dinner dishes assaulted Beetee's senses as he slammed open the doors to the Gamemaker room. Out of all the things he expected to see in the Gamemaker room, a feast along the wall at the back of the room was last. The smell of the gourmet meal turned Beetee's stomach. _How dare they feast while they kill innocent children!_

"Wiress!" Seneca Crane hurried to the sobbing teenager standing in the doorway. "Wiress, Dad tried to stop them from -" Sideous grabbed his son and placed a hand over his mouth.

"Quiet! Seneca! Go to your room! At once!" Sideous snapped.

"Dad - I wanted to explain to Wiress -" Seneca protested, sorrow filling his face as he watched Wiress cry.

"NOW, SENECA CRANE!" Sideous yelled as fear flashed across his face. "NEVER SPEAK TO MENTORS WITHOUT MY PERMISSION EVER AGAIN!"

"Yes, sir." Seneca whispered before leaving the room to head to his and his father's sleeping quarters.

"Kevius is here." Sideous said to Wiress before Kevius came toward the group from one of the Gamemaker workstations where he was talking to one of the Gamemakers.

"My little darling?" Kevius asked looking down at Wiress.

"Kevius - you - said - they would be left alone." Wiress sobbed taking his hands in hers. "You promised. In Alana and Kendall's room when you spoke with me. You promised."

"Yes. I did." Kevius said calmly. "But you know how the Games change, my little darling. Others in the Capitol - my friends are desperate for a Career victory, and a Career made it off the mountain before your little group."

"_Her little group_ was made up of TWO TWELVE YEAR OLD INVENTORS!" Beetee yelled. "Or do District citizens mean NOTHING to you?" He adjusted his glasses and glared at Kevius who stared back unfazed.

"Now now, Mr. Tesla. My little darling is from District Three, and I enjoy her very much." Kevius said putting his hand on Wiress' shoulder. Beetee's fists clenched as he saw Wiress move away from Kevius' grasp.

"Get away from her!" Beetee hissed glaring at him.

"Mr. Tesla, _do_ _not_ tell me what to do with my wife." Kevius replied in a threatening tone.

"_She's not._" Beetee began in a low voice. "She's a thirteen year old girl that you used for six months. _YOU AND THE OTHER CAPITOL SCUM THAT LIVE HERE!" _Beetee roared before pushing Kevius away from Wiress and back toward the wall near the buffet table.

"Beetee!" Wiress yelped "Beetee! Stop! Please! You'll get into trouble!" Her large eyes filled with fear seeing Peacekeepers enter the room. She knew Beetee's anger would get both of them into serious trouble.

"HE USED YOU AND THEN BETRAYED OUR DISTRICT!" Beetee roared slamming Kevius against the wall.

"BEETEE! NO! NO!" Wiress screamed as Beetee's long slender fingers wrapped around Kevius' neck.

"HE HURT YOU! HE KILLED YOUR TRIBUTES!" Beetee roared. Glaring at Kevius who was attempting to plead with Beetee, he shot an indignant look at Wiress. "Give me one reason he should live!" Wiress gulped as her hands went to her abdomen.

"He - He - our baby." Wiress stammered. Beetee's face paled then flushed dark red. In a blind rage, Beetee struck Kevius's face over and over. As Kevius fell to the floor, Beetee grabbed a steak knife on the buffet table.

"YOU DID THIS TO WIRESS, I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!" Beetee roared as he drove the knife into the Capitol man's chest over and over again. The blood roared in his ears drowning out Wiress' screams. Two peacekeepers pulled Beetee to his feet and aimed their tasers at him.

"No!" The lead officer called. "Get the girl." Two more peacekeepers grabbed Wiress and held her arms so she couldn't pull away from their grasp. "Mr. Beetee Tesla, this is your punishment." Beetee watched helplessly as Wiress was tasered over and over.

"NO! WIRESS! STOP!" Beetee cried.

"Should've thought of her before you killed a citizen of the Capitol!" One of the Peacekeepers laughed cruelly.

"NO! STOP! SHE'S PREGNANT, STOP! _OH MY WIRES, STOP!_" Beetee screamed at the top of his lungs. Wiress fell to the floor and her limbs began jerking as uncontrolled electrical currents overrode her brain. After what seemed like an eternity, she lay still on the ground, her large eyes open yet seeing nothing.**_ "WIRESS!"_** Beete gasped kneeling down by the fallen victor. "Wiress, honey, please, be ok! _Please!_ For your child." Beetee pleaded before feeling the tickle of her breath on his face. With trembling hands, Beetee felt Wiress' abdomen.

"You said she's pregnant." The chief police officer said. "And do you know the father?" Shakily, Beetee pointed to Kevius' broken and bleeding body. "Well, as Kevius has no need for his little wife and he will not see his son or daughter, you may collect your little girl and go." Beetee stared at the officer stunned. "Go!"

"No. You did this." Beetee whispered with fury as he stood up. "Bring Dr. Rostone in." he demanded.

"Your district partner is no longer the Capitol's problem. Therefore, she does not get the Capitol's medicine." The officer said coldly. "You will leave, _now,_ Mr. Tesla, and take the little girl with you." With a roar of rage, Beetee charged at the officer. Yanking the taser out of his holster, he held it up menacingly.

"You will get Dr. Rostone. And you will get help for Wiress." Beetee growled before unlatching the safety of the taser. "Or else I _will_ ratchet this up to full voltage." Suddenly Beetee was hit with a bolt of electricity. Gasping, he dropped his taser and clutched his throbbing arm.

"You forgot, Mr. Tesla. Every single Peacekeeper is armed with your little invention." The officer sneered. "Take them to the train!" He ordered his subordinates. Two Peacekeepers marched a sobbing Beetee to a train while a third officer carried Wiress' limp form behind them. She was unceremoniously dumped at Beetee's feet as the train door slammed and it began moving.

"Wiress, if you can hear me, I promise I will take care of you." Beetee whispered holding the shell of a Victor, his co-inventor, his friend, and ultimately another victim of the Capitol. "No matter what they did to you, I will take care of you."


	22. Chapter 22

"Beetee -" Beetee's eyes shot open at his barely whispered name. "Beetee -" Opening his eyes, he looked at the small figure curled up on the plush blue carpet in the tribute train dining car.

"Wiress, we're going home." Beetee said pushing her bangs back from her pale forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." Wiress whispered, her large eyes taking in the environment.

"We're in this car until we get to District Three." Beetee explained looking at the dining room table. There was no Avox to prepare meals. "Are you hungry, squirt?" Wiress shrugged. "I'll see what we have." Standing up, Beetee stretched his muscles cramped from hunching over Wiress watching her as she slept. "We have some crackers. Can you sit at the table?" He helped Wiress to her feet and put an arm around her waist as she slowly walked to the table. Pulling out her chair, he settled her at the table before putting some crackers on a plate. They were the fancy ones with different spices meant to be part of a larger crackers and cheese plate. "There you are, sweetie." Nodding, Wiress nibbled a cracker. Hesitantly she placed her hand on her stomach.

"I think -" Wiress began slowly. "It's ok. For now." Beetee nodded. Pulling his chair closer to her, he held her hands. They rode to the district in silence. Peacekeepers approached the car as they pulled into the station. Picking up a whimpering Wiress, Beetee carried her as the Peacekeepers escorted him through the streets toward his invention shed.

"Here we are." Beetee said carrying her inside and setting her on the cot in the corner of the room. He set her bag with her notebooks on a long wooden table covered with blueprints, books, and paper. A metal table in the middle of the room held wooden models of machines. Metal shelves along one wall held baskets with various gears and electronic parts. A small counter space was in the far corner consisting of a sink, some cabinets, and a mini-fridge. A propane-fueled camp stove rested on a piece of wood on top of the fridge.

"Beetee - my - your - home -" Wiress stammered looking around the small room puzzled.

"Wiress," Beetee whispered kneeling next to Wiress as she curled up on the small bed. "We - We're not allowed in our houses."

"Punishment." Wiress whispered. "Beetee - my parents?" Her fearful large eyes scanned the small room. "Mom and Dad -" As her gaze settled on Beetee's heartbroken face, she knew the terrible answer to her question. Clinging to her fellow inventor and only family she had left, she clutched his shirt and wailed as he held her long after the sun went down.

A month later, silence filled the small invention shed as Wiress and Beetee worked. Beetee blinked back tears watching his fourteen year old protege working. Her large eyes that once sparkled with joy and eagerness were now vacant as she worked almost robotically. Beetee's gaze dropped under the table as Wiress rubbed her belly that began protruding from her small body. "How are you doing?" He asked worriedly.

"Moving." She whispered setting her pencil and notebook on the table. Pressing her small hands to her abdomen, she felt the movements of the tiny person inside. "Moving, Beetee." Kneeling by her chair, Beetee placed a hand near hers.

"He or she sure is." Beetee chuckled. "Better take a break. You should eat if it wants energy to move." Going to the stove, he cooked a can of soup. Cutting a piece of bread for himself and two for Wiress, he brought lunch to the wooden work table.

"We will keep it -" Wiress began looking around the shed.

"I've been saving up for a furniture sale." Beetee said. On the weekends, families would sell old belongings outside their apartment buildings. Much of Beetee's shop had been furnished this way from factory owners selling materials they no longer needed. In the month since the Victors had returned, sympathetic citizens paid both of them to fix their electronic equipment and work on new projects. Though they didn't know why Wiress and Beetee were being punished, they wanted to help the young man who was barely twenty one and the young teenager who were both thrust into the cruel world of Panem alone.

"Hey, Wiress! I'm home!" Beetee called setting his cloth grocery bag on the portion of the wooden table they used as their dining area three weeks later. "Wiress?" He called. Her small purse was hanging from her chair, so he knew she was in the shed. "Wiress?" He asked knocking on the bathroom door. "I'm home, squirt."

"Beetee -" At the panicked cry, Beetee hastily picked the lock with a wire and a thin metal tool. "Beetee -" Wiress was sitting on the toilet rocking back and forth with her hands over her abdomen.

"What is it, honey?" Beetee asked. Wiress let out a high strangled cry and grasped Beetee's hand with a white knuckled grip.

"Baby -" Wiress gasped. In one motion, Beetee picked her up and carried her to the bed.

"I'm getting help!" Beetee gasped.

"DON'T LEAVE ME!" Wiress shrieked as she curled up in pain. "BEETEE!"

"SOMEBODY HELP ME!" Beetee screamed out the door. "PLEASE! IT'S WIRESS!" A lone figure began running down the street toward the shed. "_Please!"_ He gasped as he looked into the face of Mrs. Jones, the mother of Max and Terrin Jones who were tributes during Beetee's first two years mentoring.

"Beetee, what's going on, son?" She asked as Beetee beckoned her in. Her gaze fell on Wiress who was sobbing white-faced while curled up on the bed. "Wiress? Sweetie, it's Mrs. Jones. Terrin and Max's mom." She said gently taking Wiress' hand and sitting on the bed next to her.

"M - Mommy -" Wiress cried.

"Wiress - Mrs. Jones - um - gave birth."

"What - Beetee, what are you talking about?" Mrs. Jones asked sharply.

"They did it." Beetee whispered in fury with clenched fists. Turning away so Wiress wouldn't see his angry face, he explained. "She was used. In the Capitol. She's pregnant."

"Oh - Wiress, honey, I can help you, ok? I had both Max and Terrin at home." Mrs. Jones said gently. "Beetee, get me a bowl of cold water and a wash cloth, please." She helped Wiress lay comfortably on the bed. "There, hold Beetee's hand, ok? I need to see how far along you are. Is it coming early, Beetee?"

"I - I dunno. She found out during the Games."

"It's early then." Mrs. Jones said worriedly.

"Can you get a doctor?" Beetee asked as Wiress whimpered.

"I can see. I'll be right back." A long twenty minutes later, Mrs. Jones was accompanied by a nurse-practitioner from a nearby clinic.

"I usually deal with factory injuries, but I have helped with one or two deliveries." She said gently. "My name is Kelly."

"W - Wiress -" Wiress whispered before she cried out in pain.

"And you're thirteen or fourteen?"

"Four - teen -" Wiress gasped before clutching Beetee's hand and screaming.

"Your body is working really hard to have this baby, Wiress." Kelly said. "I need you to push when I tell you to. Beetee and Mrs. Jones are right here for you. Did the Capitol know what you were having? A girl or boy?"

"I dunno - just - Kevius - "

"She just knows it's Kevius's." Beetee muttered. He hoped the terror he felt wasn't reflected in his face as he watched his co-inventor cry with pain as she struggled to bring a small life into the world.

"Sweetie, you have a boy." Kelly said as she cradled a palm-sized baby in her hands. Mrs. Jones swaddled it in a soft dishcloth. He sqwawked as he was passed to Wiress.

"Honey, what do you want to name him?" Mrs. Jones asked.

"T - Ter - Max." Wiress stammered. "Terrimax. Terrin - and - Max."

"Terrimax Carpenter?" Kelly asked. Wiress nodded meeting Mrs. Jone's eyes that were bright with tears. "That sounds like a really nice name."

"Henry." Wiress whispered as little Terrimax squirmed as he was nestled in the crook of Wiress' elbow.

"Terrimax Henry Carpenter?" Kelly asked as Wiress slowly nodded. Getting a piece of paper, she made a birth certificate. "Honey, who did you say the father was?"

"K - Kevius Nixion." Wiress stammered. "In - the Capitol." Kelly wrote that down.

"He's dead." Beetee spat. His expression softened as he saw Wiress holding her son while watching him grasp her small fingers.

"Wiress, I wonder if Terrimax is hungry." Mrs. Jones said watching Terrimax struggle and fuss in his small blanket. Beetee gave them space as Wiress attempted to feed him. Terrimax gave a small cry before gasping for air.

"Wiress, Terrimax came really early." Kelly said gently. "Do you hear his breathing getting harder?" Tears came to Wiress as she watched her small son gasp for air.

"The hospital?" Wiress asked, her large eyes pleading Kelly for help.

"Honey, we don't have the technology for premature infants. That's only in the Capitol."

"N - No -" Wiress wept as Terrimax began crying. Mrs. Jones sat on the other side of the bed and held Wiress in a hug.

"Come here, buddy." Beetee said taking the small bundle from Wiress as she leaned against Mrs. Jones sobbing. Walking the length of the bed and back, Beetee spoke to the small boy. "Wiress cares about you, buddy. That's why she's crying. I'm glad I got to meet you - even just for a bit. Hey, I'll give you back to your mom, ok?" Ever so gently, he placed Terrimax in Wiress' arms. Through her tears, Wiress hummed a lullaby to her son for the last few minutes of his brief life.

"Wiress, I'm going to let you and Beetee have some time with him. Kelly and I will be right outside the door, ok?" Mrs. Jones said. Beetee nodded his thanks before embracing Wiress as she leaned against him crying and holding the small bundle that was warm yet eerily silent.

The day that began warm and sunny turned cold and rainy by mid afternoon. Beetee closed his toolkit where he had etched: _Terrimax Henry Carpenter_ into a piece of metal before it was welded to a stake driven into the ground. His hands were raw from digging a small hole outside his shed. Mrs. Jones had left to take care of some things in her apartment but promised she would be back the next day. After examining Wiress one more time, Kelly had returned to the clinic. A Peacekeeper stopped by the shed around 5pm with document confirming Terrimax's birth and death certificates that Kelly prepared were filed with the Vital Records Clerk in the Justice Building. The rain began blowing as a late summer storm worsened around 8pm. "Wiress?" Beetee asked. Taking a flashlight and blanket, he opened his umbrella and went to the back of the shed.

Tears mingle with rain as Wiress knelt by the freshly turned earth and sobbed. With a small hand nearly blue from the cold, she traced the letters of her son's name. "Wiress, come on." Beetee said gently. "You'll get really cold outside." The emotions from the day hit him like a flood. He had helped his friend and co-inventor who was still a child herself give birth. That same day, he held her as she mourned her small child. "Oh - Wiress -" He sobbed wrapping her in a hug. "Wiress, look at me, Look into my eyes." Slowly, Wiress' grief filled large eyes met his causing his heart to rip in two. "I promise, with every breath I have, I will fight the Capitol with you. For you. Because they took everything from you." Through sobs that racked her body, Wiress nodded and allowed Beetee to wrap her up and carry her inside. The Capitol had used her, taken her family, killed her tributes, and taken away her son. Yet she would not break like the Capitol wanted her to. Instead, she vowed to stay by her mentor's side and fight them until their cruel grasp on their lives and the lives of all the citizens of Panem was defeated. Forever.

A/N: The sequel Large Eyes Loving is now up!


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